The Princess' Rogue
by Tear of Light
Summary: It was supposed to be easy. Save the princess, collect the bounty, and then live the rest of her life without a care in the world. But when is anything ever that easy? Yang & Weiss. AU.
1. The Rogue

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And here we have another story. This one is an AU, set in the medieval times of fantasy with knights and princesses. Magic, also known as Mana, also exists, but in the form of Dust. There will also be mentions of other races, but rather than have races such as dwarves and elves, in their place will be different types of Faunus. Also of note, this is not the most common pairing of the series._

_Due to the subject matter, expect the characters to be slightly different from the way they are in the show. Not everything will be canon. As such, while many main and none main characters will be making appearances throughout this story, this story is inherently more about Yang and Weiss, and hence, everyone else may not get all the screen time you want. _

_As I'm experimenting a bit with my writing style, expect things to be a bit different until I get it all sorted out._

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

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><p><strong>Summary:<strong> It was supposed to be easy. Save the princess, collect the bounty, and then live the rest of her life without a care in the world. But when is anything ever that easy? Yang & Weiss. AU.

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><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 1: The Rogue<span> ~ ***

The Unicorn's Horn was a quaint little place.

Located halfway between the poor and rich districts of the Capital City of Vale, the local tavern was the go to place for all looking for a decent drink. And some juicy gossip. From commoners to nobles, all sorts of folk visited this place. Currently, there was only a handful of patrons here right now, as it was only mid afternoon. But that would quickly change come evening. As soon as the sun set, people would literally stream into the tavern until there was standing room only. Even then, people still came, all to waste away their nights with some rowdy company and barely tolerable alcohol.

At the farthest end of the tavern farthest from the door, sat a hooded figure at the bar. Covered head to foot in a heavy, dark brown cloak, shadows covered the upper half of the person's face as they casually sipped a large steel mug of ale. Violet coloured eyes keenly watched two off duty royal guards, also sitting at the bar, the king's men sitting three bar stools down from them on the right. While the royal guards were speaking to each other in whispers, it wasn't hard to figure out what they were talking about. Princess Weiss Schnee had gone missing from the White Castle a day ago after all, and the king had caused nothing but a ruckus since then.

The hooded figure took a gulp of ale.

Ten thousand lien.

That was the reward the king promised to anyone who returned the princess to the White Castle in good health. For the return of his daughter, in one piece, King Schnee would give up ten thousand lien.

The peoples' reaction was instantaneous.

Everyone from farmers to no good thieves showed up to the capital city within hours of that announcement, proclaiming they'd be the one to bring the fair princess back. But so far, none had made any progress, and two days had gone by since the bounty was first declared. One lone Rogue was going to fix that however. And that's why they were here, at the tiny little tavern called the Unicorn's Horn. Ale had a way of loosening a man's tongue after all, especially the king's men.

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><p>Princess Weiss Schnee slumped back against the cold stone wall, sighing deeply. For the better part of an hour, she tried to escape from this prison, but it was all for naught. The ropes which bound her hands behind her back cut deeply into the skin of her wrists, making her wince every time she shifted, or rather, tried to move into a more comfortable position.<p>

How long had it been since she was captured? Weiss didn't know. She'd only been out for a day without her usual escorts when she suddenly lost her way. Night fell quickly, the princess fighting against a blur of flitting shadows, rising terror, and sense of isolation she had never experienced before during that time. A short tussle with an unseen assailant was the last thing she remembered before waking up here, in this cold, dark, and damp stone room.

There was only one door to the place, one made of sturdy wood lined with metal joints. This poor excuse for a room was no bigger than two arm lengths, both ways, and was just as high as a small child was tall. That left Weiss with little options aside from either stooping down, kneeling, or sitting on her rear end. None of those were very appealing however, in the end, Weiss settling for sitting down with her knees bent and brought up to her chest. Her behind quickly went cold, in spite of the layers she wore. Her legs weren't any better off, as they were covered in nothing but her white boots from the calves down, boots that were now dirty with grime. Weiss could only guess what the rest of her looked like at this point.

The white haired girl sighed. As loathed as she was to admit it, Weiss was starting to regret leaving the White Castle on her own. Thinking about it further, the Schnee heiress wondered if she had been thinking at all when she decided it was a good idea to leave the only home she'd known. Logically, leaving was a foolish mistake, one that she was paying for now. But, not everything in life followed logic, Weiss knew. For if it did, many things would have turned out much differently.

Weiss snapped out of her thoughts when footsteps thumped up to the door of her cell, stopping short of it. Soon muffled voices sounded through the door, Weiss instinctively leaning forward, trying to make out words. Due to the thickness of the wooden barrier, the speakers' words were unintelligible. Weiss was able to make out the gruffness and abruptness of the voices however, clearly indicating her captors to be men.

There were two men speaking right now. One of them sounded weary, if not fearful, while the other was aggravated. They bantered with each other heatedly for another few seconds, before the conversation ended and the door to Weiss' cell clicked open. The next thing Weiss knew, her room was being bathed in light to the sound of a creaking door, the heiress momentarily blinded.

Squinting against the sudden light, Weiss' blue eyes just barely made out a dark figure framed in the doorway. The light from behind the person made his features indistinguishable, causing the Schnee heiress to grit her teeth. How lucky for the fool. If she had seen his face, the moment she escaped from all of this, she would have had him hunted down and executed in an instant!

"Time to go..." the man muttered, stepping forward purposefully. He drew something from his belt.

Weiss' stomach dropped as the man approached her, the princess well aware of how utterly helpless she was against the brute if he wished to try something. She struggled against her bonds as a heavy hand grasped her shoulder, something rough being pressed over her mouth and nose. Panic immediately took to the forefront of her mind as this happened, Weiss struggling even more, whimpering. Soon terror and panic faded, Weiss feeling all of the strength leaving her body as her eyes drooped shut and everything went black.

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><p>"Are ya serious!?" a royal guard exclaimed.<p>

"SHHHH!" the other said quickly. Both of them looked around nervously, huddling closer together as they continued to talk.

The rogue raised their hand to the barkeep, the mug of ale in front of them empty. Hidden violet coloured eyes never left the two men close by.

"That's what I heard," the second of the king's men said in a hushed voice. "I heard the commanders talkin' about it earlier. The princess was taken by mercenaries from one of them neighbourin' countries. Said so in the ransom note they sent to the White Castle. Somethin' about tradin' the princess for the Vytal throne."

A pale eyebrow raised at this news, violet coloured eyes widening slightly.

A power struggle, was it? Interesting... But the Rogue had no interest in that. Not really. Their goal was the money from the bounty, and living out the rest of their life in the middle of nowhere, where no one could ever bother them again. Ten thousand lien could make that possible for any man.

Or woman.

The royal guards looked around again, their eyes falling upon the hooded person just a ways down from them at the bar. The Rogue pretended not to notice them and continued drinking their ale.

"Barrrzmanz!" a deep voice said, seeming very much drunk. "Damzz gooode aaaalle!" The Rogue laughed heartily.

The king's men turned back to each other and continued to talk.

"Which country?" the first guard asked his friend.

"Not sure," the second replied. "But some of the others think it's Atlas."

"Atlas? Why them?"

The second royal guard took another glance around again before speaking. "One of them lieutenants saw a strange group of men leavin' Vale through the southern gate earlier this morn. They had a lotta cargo wit' them."

"Strange?"

"Yeah," the first guard nodded. "They were too big to be farmers or traders, an' their size matched that of Atlas blood. But they did nothing suspicious, so they were left to pass freely."

The Rogue grinned. That was all they needed to hear.

Slapping a lien on the bar to pay for their ale, the cloaked figure stumbled out of the bar laughing loudly about damn good ale. While the drinks themselves only cost a half lien, the rogue was feeling mighty generous at the moment. Once outside and out of sight of the king's men, the hooded figure immediately straightened up and continued to walk on normally.

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><p>"Why are guards always so stupid?" Yang asked to no one in particular. For them to have bought that drunken act, they really had to be stupid. As if a pint and a half of ale could ever get her drunk. Pfft.<p>

Taking a moment to stretch, Yang chuckled to herself. Pulling out a small bottle of clear liquid from one of her belt pouches, she took a swig of it before stashing the bottle away again. Yang couldn't let her normal voice be heard after all, not just yet. It would ruin everything if she wasn't careful. So every now and a then, she drank from the voice lowering concoction as given to her by the Shadow Kats of Forever Fall. That little potion lowered the pitch of her voice tenfold, audibly giving her the tone of a young lad who's voice just broke. Yang couldn't but chuckle when she thought of that.

An errant lock of golden hair momentarily slipped out from the cover of her hood as she put the potion away. It was promptly hidden again once the voice lowering potion was back in its place. After taking a quick glance around and pulling her cloak tighter around her body to hide her obviously feminine features, Yang turned left down the street and started whistling a casual tune. She brought up her hands to rest on the back of her cloaked head.

The southern gate of Vale was a half an hour walk from here on foot. It led out of the city through the Cliffs of Beacon, eventually leading travellers to the Emerald Forest. The forest itself was said to be both enchanted and haunted by many vicious creatures, though Yang wasn't sure if she believed those rumors or not. Nevertheless, it would take all of a week to pass through the forest on foot, two by horseback. However, if what the royal guards said was true, that the mercenaries had cargo with them, they would be even slower still.

Taking a moment to change her direction, Yang rubbed her gloved hands together as she spotted a lone horse tethered to post at the front of one of the shops ahead.

"Here horsey, horsey..." she murmured.

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__This story was actually inspired by a text based RP I did with a friend a long time ago. I had recently come across the conversations for it, quickly realizing how similar our characters were to the main characters. While we never finished the RP, I still enjoyed the story of it and decided to finish it now through a RWBY fanfiction._

_Just to clarify, in this story, Weiss was raised to be a true princess. She has no combat training aside from a few fencing lessons. She was brought up to be a prim and proper princess, an image of perfection, and a doll of sorts._

_Kats are a type of Faunus that have cat like features. They are agile, stealthy, and fast. They are kind of like alchemists of sorts in this story. If this was a true fantasy story, they would be the elves. A Shadow Kat is like a dark elf._

_All non-human races are Faunus in this story._


	2. The Princess

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and favorited this piece already! :)  
><em>

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

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><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 2: The Princess<span> ~ ***

When Weiss woke again, it was night. Groggy from being forcefully put to sleep earlier, it took the heiress a few seconds to get her bearings back. Acting out of habit, the white haired girl raised her hand to her face to rub the sleep away. At least, she tried to. That didn't happen of course, instead, Weiss' left wrist burning with a stinging pain yet remaining immobile. With panic immediately gripping her, Weiss quickly looked down at her body. Blue eyes instantly locked onto the harsh bindings around her wrists and ankles, previous events coming back to her in a flood of memory.

The escape from the White Castle.

Fumbling in the dark.

The confrontation with a shadowed blur.

Weiss had been captured by mercenaries. She'd almost forgotten.

Almost.

Blinking a few more times, now that she was a bit more awake, Weiss found herself laying on her left side. She was on a patch of grass apparently, the green shards cool and damp against the bare flesh of her neck. From where she lay, she could see no more than a few feet in front of her. Not that there was much to see anyhow. There were only the faint outlines of tree roots on the edge of her vision. That and grass and dirt. Somewhere behind her, a fire crackled, causing flickering shadows across the ground.

Weiss' body was numb and heavy, the moisture from the slightly wet grass seeping through her thin clothes and chilling her to the bone. Just as Weiss attempted to sit up, into a more comfortable position, she froze at the sound of clothes shuffling behind her. Her eyes widened at the words which followed.

"For the last time..." a gruff, accented voice said. "I don't care how big the reward is! We have orders!"

There was dead silence before another voice spoke up.

"That reward, split four ways, is more than we can earn in a-"

"I said no!" the first speaker exclaimed.

A rough hand grabbed at the back of Weiss' jacket, causing her to yelp. She was yanked up hard, the motion leaving her dizzy and tipsy with vertigo. A moment later, Weiss was stifling back another yelp as she was spun around to face her captors.

Base camp was made in a small clearing amongst trees hundreds of feet tall and just as thick around the trunks. Three men stood in the shadow of the nearby trees, the surrounding area eerily back lit by a low, smouldering fire.

"Just think about it..." spoke one of the men in front of her.

This particular man was slim in stature, his head shaved with a light green mohawk on the top of it. He wore a shirt with the sleeves cut off, two bracers covering his arms, extending just below the elbow. A brown strap wrapped around his chest from his left shoulder to under his right arm, tying a spiked spaulder to his left shoulder. Dark grey pants covered his legs with thick, brown leather boots which went up to his knees, encompassing his feet.

"All that money-" the mohawked man continued.

The one holding Weiss growled low in his throat. Weiss flinched, feeling the man's stale and hot breath on the back of her neck. Her nose twisted in disgust.

"We have orders to bring her back alive," the man said.

A pause.

"But I'm sure dead will do just fine."

There was a ring of metal as a dagger was drawn. Weiss gasped as she felt the cold steel press up against the soft part of her neck. Weakly, she tugged at her bonds to no avail, frantic blue eyes darting between the three frozen men standing in front of her. All of them had their hands halfway to their weapons, but none of them dared to draw them, out of fear of what the fourth man holding Weiss would do.

"How about we slit her throat then, and spill all her blood right now?" the fourth man sneered. "Then where's your reward, huh?"

The three men glanced at each other nervously, but did nothing further. Weiss shivered horribly, in spite of her best efforts not to move. And for the first time in a long time, the heiress prayed to the gods that she would survive the night...

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><p>The dirt path to the Emerald Forest was a quiet one, much too quiet for Yang's liking. After acquiring her transportation, the rogue immediately pushed her stead, a young brown mare, into a quick sprint through the Cliffs of Beacon. It was not hard to pick up the trail left by the mercenaries. Given how sloppy they were at covering up their tracks (Were they even trying really?), Yang assumed these men to be more brutes than actual mercenaries.<p>

Judging by the tracks she followed, there had to be at least two men on horseback, and another directing the wagon carrying who knows what. Hopefully, one terrified princess at the very least. The wheel ruts in the dirt were deep, indicating a heavy load after all. Yang could only smirk at that. She wouldn't be caught dead leaving such sloppy tracks today.

A long time ago, Yang very quickly learned why it was necessary to cover up her tracks. Such was not a lesson one wanted to repeat, especially if it left them on death's doorstep. Many scars covered the rogue's body, a very physical reminder of just how close she came to dying due to her naive, earlier days. She was a lot better today of course, not as sloppy, nowhere near as naive. And because of all the hard lessons, near fatal lessons she learned over the years, Yang was confident she would catch up to the mercenaries soon. But first, she had to cross through the threshold into the enchanted forest. And that's where she was currently, overwhelmed by a stifling silence.

Yang looked around nervously.

Usually there would be animals, if not bugs, about and making noises around this time of the day. Yang often slept outside at night, too cheap to pay for a room at the local inn, which is why she knew this fact. But here, right now... everything was so quiet, so silent, as if nature herself was holding her breath. It didn't help that there was a full moon high in the sky either.

Something had to be wrong. The rogue felt it in her gut.

Yang took a deep breath, laughing wearily to herself. She vainly tried to convince herself she was just imagining things. Enchanted forest? Bah! Those were just silly stories to scare children at night. But the horse was acting all nervous too, looking all over the place, at times jumping when there nothing was there. It was a bit unsettling to say the least. Animals could pick up on things that people couldn't see and for her horse to be skittish now, that worried Yang greatly. This behaviour started only after they crossed through the first trees leading into the Emerald Forest. That had to be a coincidence though, right?

Before she could ponder anything else, the horse reared suddenly, tossing Yang to the ground as it whined. The frightened animal immediately scurried back the way they came, running no more than a few feet away from the rogue before vines shot out of the ground, snaring it. Adrenaline rushed through Yang's veins, the rogue immediately jumping to her feet as she took in the sight. As Yang took a step backwards on instinct, a huge plant-like creature broke through the ground under the horse. It rose at least thirty feet high into the air before halting its ascent, a bone white mask with red markings covering most of its bulbous head. The monster screeched, making Yang flinch, the rogue stumbling backwards even further as her stead was raised over the abomination's open maw.

Seconds later, the horse was devoured alive.

The horse squealed in a way no animal should as it was swallowed whole, the animal's dying breath cut off with a wet crunch and what sounded like a slurping sound. Unsatisfied with that snack, the bone plated plant soon set its sight on Yang, making the rogue cringe. For a few seconds they stared at each other before the Grimm opened its mouth, revealing rows upon rows of blood stained teeth, and roared again.

Yang took off in mad, frenzied sprint deeper into the forest. She didn't stop running for a long time.

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><p>The silence dragged on for an eternity, or at least that's what it felt like to Weiss as her captors stared at each other fretfully. With the blade pressed so tightly against her neck, she didn't dare breathe. The first time Weiss did that, she felt it pierce skin, a tiny stream of warm blood trickling slowly down her neck.<p>

"Enough of this!" snapped the man holding her. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

There was another moment of silence, the other three men clutching at their weapons.

"Well!?"

The three others jumped.

"We shouldn't be here..." one of the other men said, scrounging up what little courage he had to speak. He looked around nervously.

"This place feels wrong."

This lad was mostly dressed in brown leather armor, a black shirt and black pants underneath it. A black scarf also covered up his neck, a silver buckle with a dove on it holding fast around his waist.

"Don't you hear them...?" the man continued, his voice shaking.

"Hear what?" asked Weiss' knife wielding captor.

"The voices!" hissed the mohawked man.

As if to back up the mens statements, an eerie sound drifted through on the soft wind. It was twisted sort of roar, a faded echo at that, one made by no living creature any of them knew. It lasted only for a few seconds, but that was enough. The three men in front of Weiss looked back to their leader, their eyes wide with terror.

"S-Stop speaking nonsense!" the leader said.

Whether the man's voice shook with fear or something else, Weiss didn't know. Before she knew it, Weiss was roughly pushed to the ground, the princess yelping when the breath was knocked out of her from the impact. Thankfully, the knife had been removed now, and she could breathe freely, albeit, tensely.

"We are men of the mighty Atlas!" the leader exclaimed, a slight tremble in his voice. "Act like it!"

The remaining three men relaxed in their stances, letting go of their weapons. They still remained on guard however, as none of them could dispute the oppressive nature of the forest surrounding them. Even Weiss couldn't deny it, as she lay on her stomach. There was something about this forest that was making her... weary.

Looking at the swaying trees in the fire's light made the heiress uneasy. There was something wrong here, Weiss knew, but she had gone so far beyond fear these past few days that she found the forest bothered her far less than the four men now huddled in silence around the camp fire again. That being said, one question plagued her mind. What had made that awful sound earlier?

Princess Schnee shook her head to clear her mind, but it was useless. There was a sharp stinging in her neck now, where the dagger had cut her, on top of the already raw skin biting into her wrists from the rope binding them. Weiss bit her lip to stifle a whimper, the heiress feeling more helpless and alone than she ever had in her entire life. She quickly found herself wishing for the very place she'd escape from, and if not that, any other place aside from here. But that wasn't a luxury she had, was it?

Pushing those thoughts from her mind, Weiss rested her head as comfortably as she could on the ground, wondering if the men were going to drug her back to sleep again.

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><p>Yang propped herself against the nearest tree as she caught her breath. She had been running for all of fifteen minutes now, the rogue only stopping when the burn in her legs became too much. Yang would have screamed given the chance, a means to vent her anxiety and fear, but she didn't. Her shout would without a doubt draw the attention of another one of those... things... and that was the last thing Yang needed right now.<p>

A cool breeze blew by, causing the rogue to shiver. Her skin was covered in a cold sweat, one that would be there for a good while yet considering how quiet the Emerald Forest was. The eerie silence gnawed relentlessly at Yang's usually calm demeanour.

Maybe she had made a mistake. Maybe she should just turn back now and forget this ever happened. Was her life really worth risking just for a few lien? Well... a few thousand lien. Ten thousand lien shiny ones. Yang looked at her hands, her hands still shaking in fright. Her whole body was still trembling in fact. Maybe it was time to-

A flicker of light up ahead.

Violet eyes immediately snapped to it, Yang's muscle tensing in preparation for a fight. Was that some sort of freakish spirit coming after her now!? Yang's heart skipped a beat at the thought, but she soon sighed when she realized it was not what she feared. The flicker of light came from a fire a ways off, deeper into the forest. It wasn't hard to spot as it was in the middle of the night now. There were a few forms huddled around the camp fire.

The mercenaries most likely.

A memory flitted across the rogue's mind, one of a limp form laying in a sole bed, the person's silver eyes forever closed.

Yang made a fist.

"Tch!" came a sound between gritted teeth. "That bloody princess better still be alive by the time I get to her!" Yang grumbled.

The rogue quickly marched forward, violet coloured eyes never leaving the flickering flames.

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><p>Weiss shivered, making the cuts in her wrists and neck ache terribly. The night continued to crawl by for her, the heiress wondering just how many hours had passed by since the last time she thought about her predicament. Had it truly been hours? Or maybe it had only been minutes. Or seconds even. Nonetheless, it felt like forever for the Schnee princess.<p>

A sob threatened to escape past her willing lips, her crystal blue eyes watering. Weiss forced it down however, well, she kept it stuck in her throat, not wanting her captors to know how scared and lonely she was feeling right now. While the sob was suppressed, her tears were not, and with no hands by which to wipe them away, they ran down her cheeks, streaking the grime that covered her face. They were they only warmth Weiss had right now, the heiress laying close enough to the fire to see light, but far enough away not to feel the heat.

Gritting her teeth and shutting her eyes, Weiss did what she could to stop her body from shaking. The trembles didn't stop, no matter what she did, but she did manage to flip onto her back with some effort in the end. It was no more comfortable than her previous position, with her hands now trapped under her back. But, at least she now had something else to look at, instead of just ground, dirt, and the dimly lit grass.

Weiss quickly found herself enraptured by the stars, her blue eyes almost memorized as they twinkled at her from above. It gave her a sense of calm, if only slightly. Weiss made sure to burn this view into her memory. Dawn would be upon them soon, and that was not a comforting thought. Dawn would mean moving again. To where? The princess had no idea. It was almost certain to involve nothing but hours of laying on the bed of a rickety cart, under a moth eaten blanket which hid her away from plain sight.

For the second time on this night, Weiss found her thoughts going back to the White Castle. There were so many places she wished to be right now, her former prison included, as sad as that was. Had things been under her control, she would have been, but that was not the case. Weiss blinked again as tears obscured her view of the sky, her vision blurring in water. Just about to close her eyes, a rustle in the trees above made Weiss pause, the heiress squinting to see if she could identify the source. None of her captors seemed to have heard it, but Weiss knew for a fact that she had.

Sadly, she wasn't able to spot anything which could have made the noise, nor could Weiss imagine what woodland creature had triggered it. In the end, it mattered not. It wasn't like knowing what had made that sound would make any difference to her situation.

Or so Weiss thought.

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><p><em><strong>AN:**__ The plant monster Yang runs into initially is a plant Grimm. Somehow, I can't get the image out of my mind of Yang being stared at by the piranha plant from Super Mario Bros. Of course, it's not a piranha plant, but still. Lol._

_And yes, Weiss' captors are none other than Team CRDL. In this story, they hail from the Kingdom of Atlas._


	3. Burn

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And another chapter is here! Something about this chapter feels a bit off, but no matter what I did to fix it, it didn't work. Oh well._

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, find my replies below:_

_ love thus story – Thanks for the review as always. :) I can't really reveal anything about that mysterious person as it will all be discovered later on. For now, enjoy this action packed chapter! XD_

_ TodayParade – Thanks for the comment and follow! :) I would have sent you a PM for this, but you have your PMs disabled. No worries though. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! ^^_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

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><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 3: Burn<span> ~ ***

"Interesting..." Yang murmured quietly to herself.

The rogue was currently stooped atop a tree branch, just above the mercenaries base camp, mentally taking inventory.

Four mercenaries.

One horse and heavily loaded supplies cart.

Two saddled horses tied off to the side.

One princess.

A mischievous grin broke out across Yang's face, though with the orange scarf covering the bottom it, no one could see it. Nodding her head in satisfaction, Yang looked back over her shoulder for a moment, to a tree not too far away where she planted her Boom Stick. The Boom Stick was a gift from the Sanctum Taurus, a sort of thank you for doing business with them on a constant basis. Most of the time, Yang had no need for such things. But sometimes, like now, little things like that came in mighty handy.

Yang smirked as she counted down in her head.

_3.. 2... 1-_

_**BOOM! **_

An explosion rocked the area, one of the many trees twenty feet away from the mercenary camp exploding into splinters. Yang chuckled at the mayhem which ensued.

The mercenaries were quick to scramble to their feet, the horse attached to the cart rearing. The animal tried to bolt, but only ended up getting stuck after overturning the cart attached to it, spilling the mercenaries' belongings all over the ground. One of the loose, saddled horses managed to break free from its bindings and took off deeper into the forest. The other reared, nearly smashing one of the mercenaries in the head with its hooves as the man tried to calm it. Another man went running after the escaped horse.

Just when Yang thought everything was going according to plan, one of the remaining two mercenaries yanked the princess up against him by the hair, making her scream, bringing up a large mace in front of the girl. The last of them went to investigate the burning tree with his sword drawn. Apparently the mercenaries were not as stupid as Yang thought them to be.

"Stupid brute..." the rogue grumbled under her breath.

After glaring at the mercenaries for the better part of a thirty seconds, Yang pulled out a small, golf ball sized Burn Dust stone from a pouch on her belt. Unlike freshly mined Dust stones, which were brilliant in their colours, this particular Dust stone was lacklustre, the gem a dull red colour which almost seemed grey. There was barely any mana left in the stone, but it would be enough for what the rogue had in mind.

Taking a moment, Yang closed her eyes and channelled a small fraction of her Aura into the stone. The stone glowed in her hand, pulsing in three second intervals, making the rogue smile. Satisfied with her efforts, Yang tossed the Burn Dust crystal, now glowing faintly, high into the air. Rising to her feet, still on a tree branch above the mercenary camp, Yang flicked her wrists, deploying her golden gauntlets over her forearms. Now that the stage was set, the rogue looked down and whistled.

The short, redheaded mercenary holding the princess hostage looked up at the sound of Yang's whistle. Seeing his startled expression, Yang waved at the man wearing scratched steel armor, just as a glint of glowing red fell behind the pair. A split second later, there was a flash of red and the boom of a smaller explosion, the source being the nearly spent Burn Dust crystal exploding after hitting the ground. Both the mercenary and the princess went tumbling forward, amidst a thick cloud of white smoke from that mini explosion. While the man's mace went flying off to the side harmlessly during his tumble, the mercenary himself landed on top of the princess.

Yang flinched. "Ouch..." the rogue said. "That's gonna leave a mark."

Yang jumped off the tree branch, landing close to the fallen pair inside the cloud of smoke. Hearing coughs nearby, Yang leisurely strolled over to the princess and bumbling mercenary, the rogue not the least bit affected by the smoke as they were. The orange scarf Yang wore was enchanted, a small protective ward making her immune to the suffocating blindness of smoke, amongst other ailments. It was thrown in as an extra when Yang had contracted the Taurus to forge her precious Ember Celica years ago.

Ember Celica was the genius of the Sanctum Taurus' made manifest. Yang paid a great deal of hard earned lien (or rather hard stolen lien) to have them custom made. Golf ball sized Burn Dust stones were embedded in the golden metal, a bracelet of red around each wrist of her golden gauntlets, empowering them with fire mana. Never once did they let her down, and never would they. Taurus goods were forged to last. Despite all the years of abuse it suffered at the hands of its wearer, Ember Celica was scratchless.

Locating her quarry, Yang yanked the mercenary off of the princess by his shoulder plate and tossed him to the side. Turning back to the still half choking girl, Yang bent over and reached towards the princess. The rogue had only a moment to register a blur before the head of a mace smashed her in the side.

Yang yelped in surprise when the steel weapon bashed into her ribs, sending her skidding across the ground backwards on her heels. She slid to a halt ten feet away from where she previously stood, clutching at the bruised area under her right arm. Violet coloured eyes glared at the mercenary responsible. Had it not been for her Aura, she would have been snapped into two!

"Bastard!" Yang said through clenched teeth.

Whether the mercenary actually saw her, or had hit her through blind luck, the rogue didn't know. How had he retrieved his weapon so fast was also a question mark. That being said, Yang supposed it didn't matter in the end. He was going to be dealt with just the same.

Not giving him another opportunity, Yang dashed up to the coughing man, cocked back her fist and punched him square in the face. The mercenary fell backwards with a shout of surprise, his nose a geyser of liquid crimson. Curses left the man's mouth as he held his bloody face, the rogue quickly after kicking him where the sun didn't shine, making him writhe on the ground pitifully. With that nuisance momentarily dealt with, Yang breathlessly turned her attention back to the white haired girl.

"Time to go, Princess," the rogue said in a pained voice.

Yang yanked the princess to her feet by the arm, the rogue's ribs flaring painfully from that movement. Snarling as she bit her lip against the pain, Yang quickly snapped the ropes binding the heiress' wrists and ankles with a searing blast of fire from her golden gauntlets. The princess gave a startled shout when that happened, but Yang ignored it. The girl would not be burned, the seared ropes falling to the ground before that could happen. Once her target was free, Yang pulled her in the direction of the horse and overturned cart nearby.

"I hope you can walk on your own," Yang said to the princess, giving the still downed mercenary a kick to the face as they passed him. "I really don't fancy carrying you all way home."

* * *

><p>Everything happened so fast.<p>

First there was a large explosion a ways away from camp. Then Weiss was dragged up to her feet by her hair and pulled against the disgusting leader of the mercenaries. Then something exploded behind them, tossing Weiss to the ground on her stomach, with her captor landing on top of her. Somewhere in between being crushed by the mercenary's weight and choking on smoke from the previous explosion, the leader of the mercenaries was yanked off of her and smashed to the ground by a blur, Weiss' bindings burned away a moment later, causing her to yelp.

"I hope you can walk on your own," said a voice Weiss did not recognize. "I really don't fancy carrying you all way home."

Weiss stumbled slightly as she was pulled out of the smoke cloud, the heiress greedily sucking in air as she could finally breathe without choking. Quickly getting her wits about her, Weiss turned towards the one dragging her forward. The man, as determined by the low pitch of his voice, wore a heavy dark brown hooded cloak which covered up most of his defining features. Violet coloured eyes peered at her from under the shadow of the hood, an orange scarf covering the lower half of his face.

Weiss jerked back her arm out of the man's grip.

"Woah! Hey!"

Weiss had to get out of here.

Fast.

As thankful as she was to this new man, whoever he was, for freeing her from her binds and getting her away from her original captors (for the most part), Weiss could not allow herself to be captured again. Not again. Not by him and certainly not by the Atlas mercenaries. So she ran.

Or at least, she tried to.

Wrenching her arm away a little too forcefully, Weiss fell to the ground on her rear after losing her balance. For reasons unknown to her, Weiss immediately sought out the man's gaze, one she found quickly and stared at for all of a second. Then Weiss broke eye contact, scrambled to her feet, and half ran, half stumbled her way towards the trees at the edge of the clearing.

Staggering over all manner of loose twigs and roots in her rush, Weiss would only travel five feet before her foot got caught on a large above ground root mid stride. An audible crack sounded as she tumbled to the ground face first, pain immediately spiking outwards from her right ankle, going so far as up to her right knee. Weiss almost passed out from the pain, spots of white quickly peppering her vision as she sat up to inspect her badly twisted ankle. Somehow she managed to hang onto consciousness by a thread, the boom of another explosion followed by cursing only vaguely registering to her pain wracked mind. Weiss would only snap out of her shock when she was yanked to her feet and thrown over a horse.

* * *

><p>Yang was scrambling.<p>

"Princess or not, you're leaving with me now!"

What was supposed to be an easy bounty collection had now turned into a frantic escape.

After watching the princess not so gracefully twist her ankle on a large root, Yang quickly sprang into action. Her first stop was the horse still attached to the overturned cart of supplies. After calming the frightened animal and freeing it, the rogue then turned back to the dazed princess, grabbed her, and sent the horse into a fast sprint away from the madness. The mercenaries were still distracted by her ruckus earlier, but they wouldn't be forever.

"What...are you doing?!" sputtered the heiress, the girl grabbing onto the edge of Yang's cloak to steady herself.

"She speaks!" Yang exclaimed with mock sarcasm.

Princess Schnee was currently draped over the base of the horse's neck, on her stomach, Yang sitting on the horse's bare back next to the heiress. Blue eyes glared at the rogue, the white haired girl clenching her jaw.

Yang rolled her eyes. "I'm saving your life," she said. "What does it look like?"

If looks could kill, Yang would have been dead many times now.

"How dare you talk to me like that!" the heiress exclaimed, trying to steady herself atop the horse. "Do you even know who I am?!"

Yang had to fight down the urge to roll her eyes again. "The Ice Queen perhaps?"

Yang snickered at the pun. Now was probably not the best time to joke around, but Yang couldn't help it. The princess was way too uptight and needed to loosen up. At least, that's what Yang thought. Then the heiress pushed herself off of the horse and landed painfully amongst the roots and thorns they rode passed. Yang stared in disbelief.

"Wha-"

The horse the rogue sat on continued to gallop.

"Gods, this woman!" Yang exclaimed, after recovering from her shock. She quickly pulled up on the reigns hard, making the horse skid to a stop. After turning the animal around, Yang had the horse trot up next to the fallen princess.

"As hilarious as it is to watch you play in the mud," the rogue deadpanned. "This really isn't the time!"

Jumping off of the horse, Yang walked towards the princess only for the white haired girl to scramble backwards away from her.

"S-Stay away from me!" the heiress warned, the princess' glare promising any person who touched her unfathomable agony.

Yang paused in her step. Despite the glare the heiress was giving her, there was also something else in the girl's look.

Fear.

Yang didn't like that look.

"Look," the rogue said, softening her voice a bit. Yang held up her hands, hoping to show she meant no harm. "You may not realize this, but we don't exactly have a lot of time to talk right now."

"Then leave," Princess Schnee said, looking at Yang wearily. "No one is stopping you."

"No can do, Princess," Yang said, continuing to slowly approach the heiress.

"Why is that?"

The white haired girl gingerly pulled herself up to her feet with the help of a nearby tree. Yang quickly noticed her favoring her right ankle, but the rogue didn't say anything.

"I came to get you," Yang said in response to the princess' question. "And I'm not leaving without you."

Princess Schnee tensed. "I'm not going back," the girl said after recomposing herself. Her voice was like steel and her eyes like ice.

Yang narrowed. "Why not?"

"Because I'm just fine on my own," the heiress retorted.

That was a complete lie. And both Yang the Schnee successor knew it.

"Says the princess who needed saving."

"I never asked you to save me!" Princess Schnee exclaimed, shaking with anger. She glared at Yang, breathing heavily.

Before Yang could say anything, violet eyes darted to the side at the sound of a muffled thwap. A split second later, she was tackling the heiress to the ground. An arrow whizzed by them both, piercing the air they preciously occupied when they stood.

* * *

><p>"There they are! Get them!"<p>

Weiss stared dazedly up at the sky, the heiress taking a few seconds to get her bearings back after having been tackled. As she did so, something whizzed by her line of sight in the air above, Weiss quickly realizing it to be an arrow. The projectile just missed the horse nearby, causing her eyes to widen. Had she not been tackled out of the way, she would have been dead.

"Don't let them escape!"

At the sound of that shout, Weiss snapped out of her daze.

"Great!" the man exclaimed, staggering to get to his hands and knees. He immediately clutched at his right side, wincing.

Now free, Weiss instinctively scrambled backwards to the nearest tree and pressed her back against the trunk. She faced away from the oncoming mercenaries. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she risked a glance around the tree trunk just as her supposed savior got to his feet and took a few swaying steps towards the mercenaries starting to circle them. One of the men jumped for their horse, but the creature reared wildly, before bolting into the darkness of the forest.

Looking back at the man who saved her, Weiss caught sight of him making a fist. Violet eyes met her blue ones before the man mumbled something to himself and squared his shoulders at the mercenaries.

"You gentlemen are in for a treat!" the man said, just before reaching into his cloak. A second later, he pulled out a small vial of pale yellow liquid.

Weiss looked at the vial in curiosity.

"This my friends..." the hooded man continued. "... Is what will defeat you all."

The small vial was held up for the mercenaries to see.

"Defeat us?" One of the mercenaries said. It was the one with the mohawk. "How will a lil' bottle of piss do that?"

All the mercenaries laughed.

Weiss frowned, turning back to the hooded man. For whatever reason, he didn't look the least bit worried. In fact, he looked rather confident.

"Let me demonstrate for you," the man said. "Bottoms up!"

Momentarily pulling down his scarf, Weiss' savior tossed back his head and drank the vial in its entirety.

"Ewwwwwww, he drank it," said the mercenary in brown leather armor.

Once the vial ran dry, the man tossed the empty container to the side, the glass vial shattering when it hit the ground a few feet away. Weiss held her breath in anticipation. Little did she realize, that so called _vial of piss_ was actually a Shadow Kat potion. It temporarily raised one's fortitude, will and attributes for a few given moments. Or in other words, it super powered one's Aura.

The hooded man remained silent and still as the mercenaries taunted him more, leaving the heiress to wonder if he was just bluffing after all. Then, the man's hands clenched into fists, the man soon after smashing his two fists together in front of him, his entire body immediately rippling with orange and red flames. Violet eyes turned blood red.

The four mercenaries gawked. So did Weiss.

"It's the P-Phoenix!" one of the mercenaries murmured in shock. This particular mercenary had long blue hair with matching blue eyes. His garb consisted of a black shirt and pants covered up my dull grey armor.

"Oh?" Phoenix said, clearly amused by the mercenaries' expressions of shock and horror. "So you know who I am. That will make things easier then."

Without warning, Phoenix took off like a bolt of lightning, rushing at the closest mercenary nearest Weiss.

"What the-"

The mercenary's words were cut off by a swift and really hard kick between the legs, Phoenix falling back onto the ground, using his momentum to slid through the man's legs on his side. The moment he was clear of him, Phoenix was up and racing towards the second closest mercenary nearest Weiss, the mohawked man. The first of his victims hit the dirt seconds later, limp. The second mercenary didn't even have a chance to draw his bow before he was knocked backwards into a tree, splintering it, from Phoenix's shoulder bash to his chest.

The other two mercenaries, the one in brown leather and the leader, snapped out of their stupors at that point, drawing their weapons as Phoenix spun around to face them. Phoenix instantly positioned himself between them and Weiss.

"Surprised boys?" The flaming man chuckled. "You ain't see anything yet."

Both mercenaries charged at Phoenix, screaming. The man stood his ground motionless as they did so, not moving until they were within two arm lengths from him. Taking off like a bullet, a split second before he collided with them, Phoenix leapt high into the air, getting an extra aerial boost from two fireballs shot at the ground from his fists. The mercenaries swung at him with all their might, a mace and a sword narrowly missing his body by inches.

Flipping through the air and diving between the now off balanced mercenaries, Phoenix grabbed at the back of their collars as they stumbled past him, throwing his full weight forwards as he did so. The men were quickly yanked backwards off their feet, the rogue using his momentum and boosted strength to slam them down back first into the ground hard, their bodies cratering the ground underneath them. Phoenix touched down on the ground a second later.

"What did I tell you boys?" Phoenix said, giving the two downed mercenaries a slight kick in the sides. They didn't move.

"You should have listened."

Weiss sat back against the tree again, her mind whirling. Despite having watched it live, the white haired girl was having trouble believing what she just saw. In a matter of minutes, the man dubbed Phoenix by the Atlas mercenaries had taken them all out without breaking a sweat. Oh, and don't forget the part about being on fire and shooting fireballs from his hands.

Weiss' hands came up to her face and she shook her head. She was in so much trouble now. She just knew it.

Booted footsteps came up to the tree she hid behind.

"You can come out now, Prin-"

A loud roar cut off Phoenix, making Weiss jump. While not the same as the eerie sound she had heard hours ago, it was very similar. Goosebumps raised on Weiss' arms and the back of her neck. Scrounging up all the courage she had left, Weiss dared another glance around the tree.

She would regret doing that the moment she did.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**__ Here's some fun facts. _

_Yang's Boom Stick is in fact a stick of dynamite. It is powered by black Dust, which for the purposes of this story, is crushed completely spent Burn Dust crystals, something similar to gun powder. While spent Burn Dust crystals no longer hold fire magic/mana in them, they are still highly flammable._

_The partially used Burn Dust crystal Yang used to knock Cardin and Weiss off their feet was basically a crude version of a flash bang grenade. By channelling some of her Aura into the nearly spent crystal, Yang destabilized it to the point that any rough jolt (or in this case, hitting the ground from up high) caused it to explode. But as it was almost entirely out of fire magic/mana, it was merely a flashy noise maker with a bit of a kick to it._

_Yang's Ember Celica is powered by Burn Dust crystals, which gives Yang the ability to throw fireballs with her punches. Again, for some silly reason, when describing this, all I could think of was Super Mario in Fireball throwing mode. Lol._

_The Taurus are a type of Faunus, ones with horns. The are naturally stronger than other Faunus and humans. They are kind of like blacksmiths/weapon makers/mechanics of sorts in this story. If this was a true fantasy story, they would be the dwarves._

_All non-human races are Faunus in this story._

_Only certain people have Auras. Some are born with it, others are not. Aura is like chi, or spiritual energy, and is required to be able to use magic/mana and Dust and Dust Crystals. If you don't have Aura, you can't use any of those. A person with Aura heals faster than people without Aura. Aura also provides some physical protection against blows and injuries, however, it does not stop all harm completely. It's more like a buffer, or an airbag or sorts, which takes off the more dangerous edge of injuries. Aura can be depleted from too much use and when that happens, needs time to refill._

_As we don't know what the rest of Team CRDL's weapons are, I gave them what I thought worked best for the story. Cardin keeps his mace. Sky has a sword along with Dove. And Russel has a bow. All of them also carry a small dagger on them._

_The nickname of "Ice Queen" is a nod to Weiss' common nickname in the fandom. _


	4. Scars

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And another chapter goes live!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 4: Scars<span> ~ ***

Weiss stumbled as she ran, the pain in her ankle worsening.

"Princess stop!" came a shout behind her, but Weiss paid it no heed.

"Wolves are pack animals!"

A total sense of panic gripped Weiss right now, and had ever since she locked gazes with eyes so red. A terror like nothing she had never known seeped into her very being at that sight, making Weiss want nothing more than to flee.

So she did.

Weiss didn't know what to expect when she dared a peek around her tree. All that she knew was that she wasn't expecting to see a Grimm.

Blue eyes went wide at the sight of a monster Weiss had only read about in books. It was huge, double the height of any regular person, with fur as black as onyx. On its head was a mask of white bone, lines of blood red carved into it. Spines of white bone also jutted out from the Beowolf's arms and back, blood stained teeth bared at Phoenix as the man faced off against it. It took everything Weiss had in her not to scream. Instead she took off running in the opposite direction.

How quickly she realized the terrible mistake she had made.

A blur of black darted towards her from the right between the trees. Seconds later, Weiss was bowled over, the Schnee heiress impacting the ground, hard. As Weiss lay stunned and dizzy, multiple howls filled the air. From the darkness and shadows surrounding the trees around the heiress, multiple pairs of glowing red eyes opened, leering at her. Weiss whimpered as she sat up shakily, blinking back tears as the glowing eyes advanced.

"S-Stay away!" she shouted, her voice wavering.

The Beowolves ignored the white haired girl's feeble attempt at bravado, the Grimm closing in painstakingly slow. Weiss cowered instantly, her blue eyes frantically searching for a way out. Scrambling backwards on her hands and her behind, Weiss' left hand came across a loose rock in the dirt.

Without thinking, Weiss hurled the rock at the closest Beowolf with all of her strength. The Grimm instinctively turned its head to the side to avoid getting hit in the eye with the projectile. It flinched for a moment when the rock clattered against its cheek. Shaking its head clear, the Beowolf turned its gaze back to Weiss, jaws wide and growling. Feeling another loose stone nearby, Weiss hurled it at the same Beowolf in a panic.

This time, the said Beowolf got bowled over by a heavy backpack, its contents scattering across the ground in between the beasts and Weiss, to the sound of the Grimm's yelp.

"Hey!" came a voice behind her.

Weiss, along with the dozen or so Bewolves turned their heads in the direction of the shout.

It was Phoenix.

The man still flamed from before, currently standing ten feet behind Weiss off to her right.

"The Princess said back off!"

Phoenix punched forward, his right gauntlet flashing red before shooting off a ball of fire. The attack hit a Beowolf square in the chest, making the beast yowl as it was sent flying into a nearby tree. Not wasting a moment, Phoenix punched forward again, and again, and again, sending a barrage of fireballs at the Grimm, hitting some, while missing others. Of the Beowolves still standing, all of them took off towards the rogue, deeming him more of a threat at the moment. Weiss quickly scrambled off to the side and hid behind another tree. She watched with wide eyes as the pack, in unison, leapt into the air and swarmed her savior.

"Look out!"

To Weiss' shock, Phoenix chuckled, remaining in place as the Beowolves came down up on his head. A split second before they collided, Phoenix leapt vertical into the air, narrowly missing the multitude of claws swiping at him. As he turned to face his opponents in the air and fell back down to earth, his golden gauntlets blazed with fire again. Seconds later, Phoenix's fist met the ground, rippling and cascading dirt outwards in waves. Beowolves went flying in all directions.

And Weiss could only stare in awe.

Phoenix rose from his crouch, the flames from his punch dissipating around him as he stood. Taking a quick glance around, the rogue immediately charged forward a few steps before leaping high into the air again, flipping forwards. His right leather boot came down on the nearest Beowolf like a sledgehammer, the heel of the man's boot cracking its bone mask sending the Grimm cratering into the dirt.

Phoenix immediately curved to the left after that, uppercutting a Beowolf into the air with a ball of flame. Following it up into the air, the rogue spun mid air, Phoenix's boots crunching against the faces of two charging Beowolves about to snap as his flank, the hits sending both beasts tumbling across the ground away from him. Phoenix touched down a moment later. By now, the remaining Beowolves, having finally righted themselves from the original blast which knocked them off their feet, charged at Phoenix, howling.

In spite being outnumber by at least tenfold, the rogue was undeterred. Quickly punching at the closest Beowolf, Phoenix sent it careening backwards into a nearby tree with a fireball. Kicking his right foot backwards a moment later, the man smashed another Beowolf hard in the stomach with his boot. Another Beowolf used that time to close in on the rogue, swiping at the man's face with its claws.

Phoenix had apparently anticipated this, either that or had seen it coming a ways away, for he dropped down into the crouch, leg extended, and quickly did a sweeping kick knocking the Grimm off of its feet. While it was still airborne, Phoenix uppercutted the Grimm with a flaming fist before smashing it back down to the ground with another fiery punch a split second later.

As a blur of movement narrowed in on the man from the front, Phoenix leapt to his feet. Taking one step forward, he jumped at the charging Beowolf, using its chest as a springboard to leap higher into the air. Twisting around to face another of its brethren trying to flank him, Phoenix smashed the flanking beast in the stomach with a kick, sending it crashing backwards into another Beowolf behind it. The second Beowolf stumbled backwards off balance, the first of them falling to the ground limp. Phoenix quickly charged at the second Grimm and finished off the Beowolf with a fiery right jab to the chest and a flaming left uppercut.

Growls sounded behind the blur of a man, Phoenix punching in the opposite direction of the howls. A ball of flame rocketed from his right gauntlet, sending him skidding backwards on his heels at super human speed and straight at the charging Beowolves behind him. Phoenix met the first Beowolf with an elbow to the chest, kicking it backwards with a spinning roundhouse kick to the face.

The second Beowolf swiped at Phoenix's head as its brethren was bashed away, Phoenix quickly raising his right fist, stopping the eviscerating limb with his golden gauntlet. A split second later, the Beowolf was met with two fiery blasts to the face, a backhand to the chest, a roundhouse kick to the face, and another flaming fist to the face before it was sent flipping into the air with a final round house kick.

Taking a momentary breather, Phoenix quickly turned about face to the sounds of snarling. A lone Beowolf charged at him, swiping at his head like countless of its brethren had, only for the attack to be blocked with a golden gauntlet. The Beowolf then met its end with a flurry of flaming punches to the chest and a fiery uppercut to the face. All the while this was happening, Phoenix still glowed with small flames of orange and his eyes were blood red. Unlike the Beowolves' gaze, Weiss noted, Phoenix's red eyes didn't scare the princess one bit.

A roar sounded in the distance, making the rogue look skywards. Movement from deeper in the forest caught Weiss attention, two blurs leaping into the clearing with them seconds later. The first blur was brown, and didn't stop, the brown blur deftly zipping between the Beowolves and Phoenix, continuing into the trees on the other side of the clearing, disappearing as fast as it appeared. The second blur, a black one, was hot on the first blur's heels, barrelling through trees, knocking them down and splintering them without reprieve.

It was another type of Grimm. One much more dangerous.

An Ursa.

The remaining Beowolves were bulldozed over like bowling pins, some being thrown into the air, others being flat out trampled by the newcomer. Phoenix just barely managed to roll out of the way of the other stampeding Grimm himself, the man's flames finally dying down at this point. With his flames now gone, Phoenix's eyes returned to their soft, violet colour.

The Ursa quickly lashed out at the closest Beowolves to it, immediately marking territory. Seeing this, Phoenix darted around the rage filled beast, the Beowolves once again switching targets to this bigger threat.

"Time to go Princess!" the rogue said, scrambling over to the still Schnee heiress.

Chest heaving in exhaustion, Phoenix hoisted Weiss over his shoulder and took off into a mad run deeper into the forest. Weiss yelped at the sudden movement, instinctively kicking and flailing her arms.

"Let go of me brute!" she exclaimed. The white haired girl squeaked as both of them suddenly went airborne, the rogue jumping over a fallen log.

"Nuh uh!" Phoenix said, huffing. He stumbled over a passing root shortly afterwards but managed to stay upright. He continued to run. "As much as I'm tempted to, I'm not going to leave you to-"

Weiss heard Phoenix suck in a hasty breath before she went airborne again, the sound of claws meeting metal and a crack following shortly afterwards. Weiss hit the ground with a yelp a few seconds later, the rogue suddenly gone from underneath her. Shaking her head out of her daze, she quickly looked up at the sound of a snarl. All of the blood drained out of her face the moment she did.

Phoenix was now slumped over in front of a cratered tree fifteen feet away from her, a Beowolf advancing on him menacingly. Judging by the smoke still emanating from the Grimm's fur, it had to be one of the Beowolves from the fight before.

"No..." Weiss said in horror.

The Grimm stalked towards the downed rogue, claws twitching, drool dropping to the ground from its open maw. Phoenix groggily shook his head, still much too out of it to do much of anything, far-a-less defend himself. He probably didn't even realize the danger he was in right now.

"No."

Weiss searched for a weapon, the heiress cursing her helplessness again. While it was true she didn't like the man, and really couldn't stand Phoenix, it was also true that he had saved her more than once now. And she was not about to let him die.

Not because of her.

The Beowolf towered over Phoenix now, raising its paw. The shadow of the beast made the dazed man raise his foggy gaze upwards just as the claws came down upon his head.

"NO!"

Weiss' hand shot out towards the Beowolf instinctively, a light blue Dust glyph immediately materializing under the Grimm's feet. The beast had only a split second to look down before ice shot up from the ground and swallowed it whole, the Beowolf's attacking hand freezing just inches away from Phoenix's face. The Grimm didn't even have a chance to howl before it was frozen solid.

As quick as the Dust glyph appeared, it vanished, Weiss slumping to the ground, her strength suddenly gone. With her vision blackening, panic and fear was replaced by exhaustion, aches and pains replaced by tiredness. The last thing she remembered before closing her eyes and succumbing to darkness was a shocked violet gaze.

* * *

><p>Weiss awoke to the sounds of crackling flames sometime later.<p>

Slowly pushing herself upright and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she found herself half covered in a worn, wool blanket that had seen better days. A camp fire crackled just a few feet away from her, fish on sticks cooking around it. And on the other side of the fire was a shadowed figure, their back resting against a tree.

"You're awake."

Weiss's cool gaze met a violet one. She blinked before turning away to look around. "Where...?"

"Somewhere far away from those Grimm," Phoenix replied. "Though, beyond that, it's hard to tell in this darkness."

Weiss looked up at the sky, the stars still shining brightly overhead. This had to be one of the longest nights of her life.

"Thank you."

Weiss' gaze locked onto the rogue again.

"For saving me back there."

Phoenix refused to look at Weiss right now. Whether it was out of embarrassment or shame, Weiss would never know. Silence would reign between them for a few seconds before Weiss chose to speak up.

"I couldn't just watch you die," Weiss said, breaking the silence. "You are one of my people after all."

Phoenix just snorted.

"Besides," Weiss said, ignoring the snort. "You did save me a few times before that."

The man fidgeted with the hem of his cloak. "You make it sound like I wanted to."

Blue eyes narrowed at Phoenix. "Why did you then, if not out of the goodness of your heart?"

Something was thrown in Weiss' direction, the heiress catching it without thinking. It was a paper scroll. Giving the rogue a brief glance, Weiss unrolled the scroll, her gaze quickly landing on the giant **REWARD** inked at the top of it in bold. Underneath the header was a brief description of what Weiss looked like, her official title as _Princess Schnee_, and a substantial reward of lien.

Weiss almost snorted. Leave it to her father to be so ridiculous.

King Schnee had to be the vainest person Weiss knew in the entire Kingdom of Vytal. He made sure that the people knew what he looked like, having countless portraits of himself painted and distributed amongst the court of the nobles. As if that wasn't enough (and it wasn't, not to the king), every so often, he would travel the streets of Vale via carriage, with an entire troop of soldiers guarding him, just so people never forgot his face. On top of that, craftsmen were ordained to make miniature replicas of King Schnee, in his likeness, something he forced the poorer districts of the capital city to buy just because he could. Yet, when it came to Weiss, his own daughter, his flesh and blood, the damn fool didn't even have the decency to include a portrait of her on the reward notice. Despicable.

"Seems like daddy is missing his little girl," Phoenix commented, a slight sneer in his voice.

Princess Schnee glared at the paper.

"He does not miss me, only what I can do for him," she said tersely. Icy blue eyes locked onto Phoenix's violet ones. "So if you plan on taking me back, it must be as your prisoner," Weiss said. She tossed the bounty scroll back to the rogue who caught it easily.

"Why is that?" Phoenix asked, genuinely curious. Clearly this was not the response he was expecting.

Weiss turned to stare at the fire, clenching her jaw. "I won't go back. I just... won't..."

Phoenix was silent for a moment, his eyes flickering between Weiss and the fire.

"Sounds like life in the castle isn't so lovely after all," the rogue said after a few seconds. "Too bad. I hear they have really good roast over there."

Weiss clenched her fist in response to her increasing ire. She closed her eyes to calm herself, but it didn't work. Instead, memories unbidden forced their way into her mind, times she wished to forget, making her only more angry.

"What would you know?" Weiss said, nearly growling. "You're just a free booting scoundrel with no cares nor responsibilities."

Weiss was harsh in her remarks she knew, but she was so angry right now. How dare he talk to her like that!

"What could you know of duty to one's family and to one's people?" Weiss turned away in disgust.

"Free booting?" Phoenix whispered, as if he couldn't believe she just called him that.

Weiss turned back to say something else, but the man wouldn't let her.

"Free booting!? How dare you!"

Weiss blinked in surprise at this reaction. Apparently she hit a nerve.

Phoenix shakily rose to his feet and glared at Weiss witheringly.

"It is _YOU_ Princess that has no damn clue!" the man exclaimed, making Weiss flinch.

"What would you know of duty to family?! You have been pampered your entire life!"

Phoenix was shaking, a finger pointed at Weiss.

"And here you are lecturing me about responsibilities!? What in the world would you know about that!?"

Weiss cringed backwards as the rogue marched around the camp fire and moved his face to stop just inches from her own. The next words to leave his mouth would hit the Weiss harder than any physical lash could, because having seen the agony and sorrow bleeding through his eyes, Weiss knew they were genuine.

"Did you have to worry about how you were going to feed your sickly little sister when your house was raided by bandits and your parents killed!? Hmm? Did you feel sick to your stomach every night as you tried to find shelter after those same said bandits burned down your house and village!? Did you have to go through the agony of having healer after healer turn your dying sister away because you didn't have enough lien to pay for her to get better!? Did you!?"

Weiss swallowed thickly as tears pooled in the corner of the man's eyes.

"No! You didn't!"

Phoenix snarled.

"Just like how you weren't forced to steal just to eat, you weren't forced to live on the streets just to survive, you weren't forced to w-watch your little s-sister smile at you as she wasted away in your arms because you didn't have the power or money to do anything about it!"

At this point, tears flowed freely from Phoenix's eyes, torment clearly heard in his voice as he fought so hard to keep his words from trembling.

"You have _no_ idea the life I have lived and the things I have done to just live, _Princess_. Do not speak as if you do!"

Weiss was misty eyed and speechless by the end of all of that.

After staring at her for another few seconds, Phoenix finally rose up to his full height, clutching at his right side. When he started walking backwards away from her, Weiss couldn't but feel a sense of panic rise inside of her.

"Fear not anymore, Princess," Phoenix said, his voice low and muted. "I've changed my mind."

The bounty scroll previously hidden inside of Phoenix's cloak was pulled out and tossed into the fire. Weiss watched as the parchment immediately went up in flames.

"I need not any stinking lien for a wretch like you."

Blue eyes rose up to look at the rogue, Weiss not feeling the least bit insulted by that comment even though she knew she should have.

"I don't want to taint myself with your kind."

With that said, Phoenix walked passed Weiss, and into the darkness beyond the campfire. He would not return for the remainder of the night, leaving Weiss to mull over both his words and hers, Weiss not sleeping a wink before morning came.


	5. Temporary Truce

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And another chapter is up! I forgot to mention it in the author's notes previously, but the fight Yang had with the Beowolves was heavily inspired by the fight in Junior's club in the Yellow Trailer._

_On another note, some of you have been asking about Ruby and the other characters from the show. I really can't say too much on the matter, as that (or rather they) will be revealed in later chapters. Nothing too big as Yang and Weiss is the focus of the story, but you'll see some of them. Which ones exactly? You'll just have to wait and see. :P_

_Onwards to the chapter!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 5: Temporary Truce<span> ~ ***

"Why are you following me?"

The sun was high overhead now, but most of the light was blocked by the canopy of leaves above their heads. True to its name, the Emerald Forest was one of the greenest forests Yang had ever travelled through, and one of the most beautiful. It was just a bit too quiet for her liking, however. That, and they were being followed.

Yang didn't know when they picked up their stalkers, every so often, the rogue catching sight of blurs zipping in and out of the trees around them. The princess didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. As their present company hadn't shown any hostile intentions, not yet at least, Yang chose to ignore them for the time being. After facing off against various types of Grimm yesterday, ones which were quite likely still around and dangerous, silent stalkers were the least of their problems.

"I'm not following you!" Princess Schnee huffed in annoyance, glaring at Yang.

"Yeah?" Yang retorted, not at all impressed. "Then what are you doing trailing behind me?" she nearly growled.

Yang was still sour over the night before. While the white haired girl took the brunt of her anger just hours ago, Yang wasn't really mad at the princess. If anything, she was more mad at herself. The rogue was mad that she hadn't done more in her younger years. She was but a child back then, and it was hardly her fault, but to Yang, that was no excuse. She had failed her sister. Plain and simple. The princess just had the unfortunate luck of bringing up that sore topic, which earned her Yang's wrath.

"I'm..." The Princess looked to the side, stalling. "Simply going in the same direction as you! That's all."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Riiiiiiiight," she deadpanned.

Yang eventually made it back to camp later that night, after spending the better part of an hour stumbling around the dark. Upon seeing the miserable princess wide awake when she returned, the rogue opted to sleep in the branches of a nearby tree. As the heiress didn't look ready to sleep anytime soon, Yang figured she would. Just because the princess wasn't sleeping didn't mean Yang couldn't. So she did. And come morning, Yang awoke refreshed and feeling much better than the previous day. Princess Schnee however, wasn't so lucky.

Walking up to base camp, Yang immediately noticed the white haired girl's poor state. The princess' eyes were bloodshot, dark bags underneath them. The girl's hair was a mess and she jumped at everything that made a sound, including Yang's boot after she intentionally stepped on a twig, snapping it, to announce her presence. The princess looked ready to scream at the sight of her, but upon realizing who it was, the heiress' look shifted to one of relief, no matter how hard she tried not to show it.

Yang couldn't but feel for the girl who was obviously out of her element, the rogue wondering if the princess had ever pulled an all-nighter in her life before. But even so, the argument from the night before was still fresh. So Yang silently packed up what little things she had (that being a few scraps of leftover food and the lone backpack of the mercenaries' supplies she had picked up during the scuffle with the mercenaries) and left. To the rogue's surprise, the princess scurried after her, noticeably limping, and didn't leave her sight.

That was four hours ago. And now they were here.

Thankfully Yang's ribs had healed by now. For the most part. While a horrible looking purple and green bruise marked the skin over her ribs on the right side, Yang's Aura had healed her up quite nicely.

The rogue stopped at a fork in the road, Yang momentarily pausing before taking the right most path.

"W-where are you going?" Princess Schnee questioned, quickly following behind Yang. Despite following the rogue everywhere she went, the princess kept a respectable distance between them.

"What does it matter?" Yang asked in irritation. As if being lost wasn't bad enough, Yang now had to deal with a meddlesome princess too?

"It's not like you're following me or anything."

The white haired girl huffed at that, the princess continuing to limp behind Yang. The pair would walk for another few minutes in silence before they came across a stream.

Yang stopped next to the stream to look down the length of it. The stream seemed to flow through the forest for quite a ways. It was hard to tell for sure though. Deciding a break was in order, Yang sat down next to the stream and leaned against a nearby tree to rest. As she settled, violet coloured eyes spied movement in the water. Squinting at it, the rogue could just barely make out shadowed forms in the water, forms that were long and lean. A grin stretched across Yang's lips.

Shrugging off the backpack and dropping it down on the grass behind her, Yang then proceeded to take off her boots. The bottom of Yang's pants legs were rolled up next, the rogue rolling up her sleeves as well. Ember Celica remained dormant on her wrists.

"What are you doing?" Princess Schnee asked, genuine curiosity in her voice. She too sat down next to the stream, but sat five feet away from Yang.

"Catching lunch," Yang replied, not looking in the direction of her present company. "What does it look like?"

Not waiting for an answer, Yang waded out into the shallow water, the top of the water reaching just below Yang's knee.

"You really are a Degenerate."

Yang stiffened at that comment, glaring at the Schnee heiress. "Excuse me?"

"Only Rapscallions would splash around in the water like children."

Yang's jaw clenched. "In case you haven't realized, _Princess_," she said, her voice tight. "It's not like I have a fishing line with me. I have to made do with what I have."

The white haired girl merely harrumphed at that comment.

Yang's hands clenched into fists, the rogue biting her tongue to hold back a curse. She glared at the princess for the next minute. When the snotty girl said nothing further, Yang returned her attention back to the stream and slowly lowered her hands into the water.

"You're doing it all wrong."

Yang's eyebrow twitched, the rogue doing all that she could to keep herself from throttling a certain white haired heiress.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You're doing it all wrong," Princess Schnee repeated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She even added an eye roll when Yang looked up at her, infuriating the rogue even more.

Yang stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said in mock sarcasm. "I didn't realize there was a right and wrong way to fish with your hands."

"There is," the white haired girl stated, puffing out her chest.

"And you know this... how?" If looks could kill, Yang would have murdered the pompous princess so many times by now.

"From books," Princess Schnee stated. "I am a princess after all. Such things were one of the first lessons I learned."

_Breathe. Just breathe. _

Yang rubbed her face, in an attempt to calm herself. It truly amazed her how much patience she was exhibiting right now. Anyone else pulling this crap would have gotten a flaming fist to the head long ago. But, as much as Yang was tempted to punch the living daylights out of her present company, she didn't. Doing so would only prove how right Princess Schnee was about Yang being uncivilized.

_Calm down. She doesn't know any better. She's probably just miserable from not sleeping-_

"Surely a Simpleton like yourself can read?"

The gods hated her, that had to be it. Surely this was punishment for something or the other? Though Yang hadn't the foggiest idea of what she'd done wrong this time.

Closing her eyes, Yang forced herself to take deep breaths. Once she was certain she wouldn't do anything drastic to the white haired girl upon sight of her, Yang opened her eyes and faced her nemesis.

"Reading from books is one thing, Princess" Yang said in utter aggravation. The rogue looked at the heiress, hard. "Real life is another. Many things can't be learned from a book. Only experience gives you that."

A sudden thought came to Yang, making her smirk.

"But, seeing as you're so quick to point out my mistakes," the rogue continued. "Why don't you demonstrate the proper way to do things, as learned in your studies?"

Yang gestured towards the water with the wave of a hand.

"What?" Princess Schnee almost screeched. "You dare suggest I lower myself to a mud crawling Commoner like yourself?"

Yang's jaw clenched hard, the rogue almost certain she was going to crack some teeth if she kept it up.

"If you want to eat, you will," Yang stated.

With nothing more left to say, Yang left the water and sat down on the grass again, next to her boots and backpack. Had there been any food left over from this morning, now would have been the time to snack on them. But, as it was, those scraps were finished earlier on in the walk, and hence the need to catch lunch currently. The lone backpack Yang carried was devoid of any edible morsels, the sack only containing extra clothes amongst other nick knacks.

"I will not!" Princess Schnee exclaimed. "If there's anyone whose going to muck around like a bottom feeder, it will be-"

An audible gurgle sounded, making the heiress flush. Princess Schnee's hand instinctively went up to her stomach, the white haired girl glaring at it. Yang smirked at that sight, the rogue plucking a blade of grass from the ground, pulling down her scarf partially to chew on it. While such an action should have warranted some concern on Yang's part, with regards to revealing her true identity, it really didn't. The shadows of her hood were more than enough to keep her more feminine features a secret at this distance.

"You will go in there and get me a fish, right now!" Princess Schnee demanded. The heiress rose to her feet shakily, to give herself some extra height over the lazing rogue.

Yang looked up impassively at the princess, before turning back to face the stream again. She pulled up a few more blades of grass and tossed it at the water.

"Nope."

Princess Schnee took one step backwards, affronted. "No?" Blue eyes hardened into glaciers.

"You will!" The princess said again, pointing her finger at Yang now. "You will do what I say because-"

"Because you're a princess?" Yang snorted. "No, you're not. Out here, you're no one special. No guards. No riches. And most definitely not Daddy's Little Girl."

Princess Schnee glared hard at Yang, her hands balled into fists at her sides.

"I owe you nothing," Yang said, looking at the white haired girl with eyes narrowed. "So if you want to eat, you'll prepare it on your own. Just like the rest of us Commoners as you so call us."

The Princess' eyes threw daggers at the rogue, but Yang didn't react. Rather, she just chuckled. It was oh so amusing to watch the princess squirm for once. When the other girl's stomach growled loudly for the second time in the span of minutes, her face flushing, the princess turned away.

"Fine!" Princess Schnee said, half stomping, half limping, towards the water's edge, boots and all.

Yang's eyebrows raised into her hairline, the rogue absolutely stunned. The princess was actually yielding?

"I'll show you!" the heiress exclaimed, snapping Yang out of her shock. "And when I catch all of them, you won't get any!

"Sure, sure," Yang said, chuckling. The rogue had to hand it to the princess, she had some spunk.

"That's if you catch any," Yang finished, grinning.

The princess glared at Yang, growling very much unladylike as she marched into the shallow waters. When the white haired girl turned her attention to the waters, Yang rested her elbow on her knee, and leaned her cheek against the palm of her hand. Violet coloured eyes twinkled with mirth.

This was going to be good.

* * *

><p><em>~ Half an hour later ~<em>

If there was one thing Yang could say about the princess, she was persistent.

Half an hour had passed since the heiress trudged into the water, with all intents and purposes of proving Yang wrong. And for half an hour, Yang watched as the white haired girl failed and failed and failed again, each time not only failing to catch any fish at all, but also getting herself more drenched in icy water when she vainly tried to chase after the fish that got passed her. Sighing, and very hungry at this point, Yang decided to help the pitiful princess out.

"You're doing it wrong," Yang said, smirking at the vicious glare the cold and exhausted princess gave her.

"Watch. This is how you do it."

Standing down stream from the heiress, Yang bent over and slowly dropped her hands into the water. Cool blue water went up to her elbows almost, the sunlight above glinting off of Ember Celica nicely in the water. Spreading her fingers wide, and bringing her fingertips nearly together, Yang wiggled her fingers slightly and waited. It didn't take long to attract attention.

"You see, Princess," Yang said, holding her arms absolutely still. "You first have to draw them in."

A fish swam up to Yang's hands, stopping itself in between her thumb and fingers as it inspected the golden object in the water.

"And then when they least expect it, you snatch them up!"

At that exclamation, Yang's hands blurred. A split second later, there was a loud splash of water, Yang straightening up with a slimy, writhing fish in her hands.

"And that's how you catch a fish with your bare hands!" Yang said, the rogue soon after tossing the flopping fish up onto the grass next to her boots. Turning back to her present company, Yang was greeted with a scowl.

"I know that!" the white haired girl said indignantly, the princess' gaze quickly dropping to the water again. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, probably due to embarrassment Yang figured.

Rolling her eyes at the heiress' words, Yang bent down again to catch another fish. Like before, Yang easily caught her prey, having done this many times over her career as a rogue. Very rarely did she stay in the major cities when roaming about, Yang preferring what nature had to offer. Most of the time.

"Blast it!" the heiress exclaimed, after losing yet another fish due to her own under developed fishing skills and impatience.

Yang looked up at the shout, at the same time tossing her fourth fish up onto the shore. She watched as the white haired heiress threw a little fit, kicking at the water and getting herself more wet. Raising her eyebrows in disbelief, Yang sighed before walking over to the girl.

"Here," she said taking the princess' ice chilled hands and pulling them into the water with hers.

"Unhand me you-"

"Shh!" Yang said, holding the other girl's hands firmly. "You'll scare them away if you shout like that."

Without paying the princess any further heed, Yang continued to hold the other girl's hands in her own as they waited. Surprisingly, the princess remained quiet and unmoving, though Yang was pretty sure that was due more to exhaustion and hunger rather than actual compliance at this point.

Movement below drew both of their gazes downwards, the heiress immediately holding her breath as a fish swam between hers and Yang's hands. The fish slowed itself to stop in the water, between their wiggling fingers, to investigate the phenomenon.

"Wait for it..." Yang murmured in a low voice. "Wait for it..."

The princess clenched her jaw, biting her lip as her body trembled in anticipation.

"Now!" Yang shouted.

Princess Schnee instantly clapped her hands around the body of the fish, the thing as long as her forearm and just as thick. The heiress squealed as the fish squirmed within her grasp, the white haired girl fighting to maintain her hold. Calloused hands covered the princess' own in the water before the fish escaped, both pairs of hands raising upwards a moment later, drawing the fish out of the water.

"I... did it..." Princess Schnee said in disbelief, staring at her catch. The fish continued to frantically flop around between their hands.

"That you did, Princess," Yang said with a chuckle. "That you did."

Yang's hands fell away from the princess', letting the heiress feel the true weight of her catch. The white haired girl stumbled when she almost lost her grip on the fish a second time, Princess Schnee managing to keep her hold in the end, soon after tossing the fish onto the shore like Yang had previously.

"But the first time is always a fluke," Yang said with a shrug, giving the princess a nonchalant look. "Can you do it again, this time, without my help?"

The heiress' look of surprise and accomplishment changed in an instant. The glare that followed could have frozen the entire kingdom of Vytal solid in an instant. Yang couldn't but smirk at that.

"Of course I can!" the princess said with an indignant huff. Arms were crossed over the princess' chest. "I'm a Schnee after all."

Yang's grin widened. "Yeah?" she said in mock sarcasm. How truly fun it was to tease this girl.

Princess Schnee's glare was downright frosty.

Unperturbed, Yang waved at the water.

"Prove it."

* * *

><p>Princess Schnee was certainly not princess material.<p>

Not according to Yang, that is.

Seriously speaking, which princess in their right mind would rough it out in the forest with only the clothes on her back?

Yang sat quietly back on shore, watching as her present company struggled to make a fire. It was very clear that the heiress had absolutely no idea what she was doing, but the princess pushed on, as defiant as ever, to prove Yang wrong yet again. It was rather cute, if the rogue could say so herself.

"You know," Yang began. As amusing as it was to watch the struggling princess, they had yet to eat and the fish still needed time to cook over the fire.

"I can just use one of these," Yang said, holding up a nearly spent burn Dust crystal. "I always have a few handy."

Princess Schnee sat back on her heels and huffed loudly.

"That looks dangerous," the princess said, eyeing the Dust crystal sceptically. Looking back to the pile of sticks and stones in front of her, the heiress sighed. Clearly, things were not working out as well as she had hoped.

Yang almost snorted. "Anything that goes boom is dangerous," the rogue said. "But it's faster than what you're doing. Though..."

Yang gave the princess a look.

"If you're so hell bent on doing that, who am I to stop you?"

Without waiting for an answer, Yang shrugged, stashing the dull red gem back in her pouch again.

Fishing took all of half an hour to complete, a total of ten fish caught between the two of them (seven were from Yang). While still not on the best of terms with each other, both Yang and Princess Schnee agreed a little cooperation was needed, if they were going to eat anytime soon. They were starving, the princess more so than Yang, as she hadn't eaten a bite the day before. So after quickly putting their differences aside and agreeing on a fragile truce, they got to work.

Yang was in charge of filleting the fish, while Princess Schnee worked on the fire. That was the princess' orders of course, the Schnee heiress having read all about how to make fires from books. Rather than argue with the white haired girl on that logic, Yang simply went along with it. For her, filleting fish wouldn't take more than a few minutes.

Yang wasn't blind. She saw the princess' queasy look as she gutted the fish atop a rock. The heiress went noticeably pale as fish guts spilled out onto the grass when that happened. If Yang had to guess, the princess was probably squeamish about most things. Though, it was rather shocking she showed no adverse reaction to blood, especially when the mercenary's broken nose erupted like a geyser a day ago.

After cleaning all ten fish, filleting them and putting them on sticks to cook, Yang tossed all the inedible and less desirable fish remains back into the river. By then, the fishy smell was incredibly strong and the princess looked ready to dry heave. Thankfully, the girl still had the fire to focus on, which distracted her from emptying the contents of her stomach in a bush.

But that was almost an hour ago.

And the princess still hadn't caused any sparks.

Yang sighed.

"Honestly," the princess huffed. "Blowing up a pile of sticks is rather extreme."

While not well versed in nature survival, even Princess Schnee recognized Dust stones and knew of their volatile qualities.

Yang stared at the heiress less than pleased. "What's more extreme? Starving to death or blowing up sticks to eat?"

Princess Schnee rolled her eyes before crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine," she grumbled, sitting back against a fallen tree trunk on the other side of the non existent fire. She looked at Yang expectantly.

"Alright then..." Yang said looking back to the sticks in between them.

Truth be told, it would be overkill to use a nearly spent Burn Dust crystal right now. Those were meant for a larger scale of damage, not as big as Yang's favorite Boom Sticks, but nevertheless, they really weren't meant as fire starters. But drastic times called for drastic measures. So, to save face in front of the princess after she so arrogantly boasted about using her crystals, Yang did just that.

"Here goes..."

Yang pulled out the Burn Dust crystal from her pouch again and channelled some of her Aura into it. Once she was satisfied it would give her the desired result, the rogue tossed the dull gem as far as she could away from the them. Both of them watched as the crystal tumbled over and over again in the air, heading straight for a nearby tree.

_**BOOM! **_

An explosion rocked the forest for the second time in the span of twenty four hours, smoke and grit enveloping the air within a fifteen foot radius of the detonation. Yang waved a hand in front of her face to dispel the cloud of dust which followed, the heiress coughing just opposite her making the rogue wince slightly.

Hmmm. It seemed that Burn Dust crystal had more in it than Yang thought.

Oh well.

"There you go, Princess!" Yang said cheekily, once the air cleared. Even at this distance, she could feel the heat of the flames licking at the nearby trees.

"Take your pick of which fire will light ours."

Princess Schnee glared at the destruction just ten feet off to their left. "Was that really... necessary...?" she questioned, scowling. "You do realize you've just told everyone for miles around where we are?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Yang said with a shrug. "I set one of these off before, along with their big brother, if you remember. No one has come looking for us yet."

Not waiting for a reply, Yang got up from her seated position and retrieved a burning branch to start their fire. Once the fire was blazing away, she immediate set the skewers of fish by the fire to cook. It wasn't going to be long now. Yang's mouth was almost watering.

"You really are brutish," the Schnee heiress commented, looking at Yang in distaste.

"You do what you need to for survival," Yang said, rolling her eyes. "Form, pose, none of that matters when you're fighting for your life, Princess."

"Weiss."

"Huh?" Yang blinked in confusion.

"My name is Weiss," the princess repeated. "I'm no longer a princess and you would do well not to refer to me as such."

Yang's eyebrows went up as she reached over to turn the fish skewers around so they didn't burn on one side. Weiss silently watched her as she did that. After the skewers were attended to, violet coloured eyes met blue ones.

"You really don't want to go back to the White Castle, do you?"

Weiss shook her head.

"Tell me something, Princess," Yang said, flipping the skewers around again.

"Weiss," the white haired girl repeated, glaring at the rogue to carry across her point.

"Uh right," Yang said before continuing. "Weiss..."

A pause.

"What's so bad about that place anyhow? So many people would kill to have what you have. Food. Servants. Money."

"But it's not my life, is it?" Weiss' gaze dropped down to the fire. "You think I'm free to choose where I want to go, when I want to, and to whom I shall marry?" Weiss looked off to the side lost in thought.

"Oh?" Yang said, this time it being Weiss who flipped the skewers around so that they didn't burn.

Princess Weiss Schnee was definitely not princess material.

Smiling slightly at that thought, Yang couldn't help herself.

"You're a bit feisty, aren't you?" Yang said, waggling her eyebrows. Not that Weiss could really see it given how shrouded in shadow her face was to begin with. But Weiss could certainly hear it through the tone of her voice.

"Oh shut up you!" Weiss huffed, flushing at the insinuation.

Yang just chuckled again, before pulling out the closest fish skewer from the ground and taking bite.

Mmmh. Perfect!

Reaching for another skewer as she polished the first one off, the rogue handed the second skewer to her campfire companion. The white haired girl gratefully accepted it, taking a hesitant bite after inspecting it keenly. Soon an expression of sheer surprise and joy blossomed across Weiss' face, the white haired girl ravenously tearing into the fillet throwing manners to the wind. Yang smiled. Weiss' reaction was like that of a child discovering something new and exciting for the first time. It reminded her so much of-

Yang swallowed thickly, her appetite suddenly waning. Anytime she thought about... her... this always happened. Yang continued to eat however, well aware she needed to keep her strength up for the trials ahead. In the end, she would eat the equivalent of three fish, Weiss quickly finishing off the remainder without hesitation. The princess would also be the one to nod off first, in spite of her best efforts not to. It seemed all exhaustion had finally caught up to her, and Weiss didn't have the energy to fight against it.

For an hour after Weiss fell asleep, Yang watched her. Nostalgia weighted heavily on her shoulders as the heiress slept, the rogue's thoughts going back to the person she had lost long ago. Upon noticing the slight shiver of her companion, without thinking, Yang got up and draped the worn blanket Weiss picked up from before over the white haired girl and tucked her in. Not too long after retaking her spot on the other side of the fire, Yang succumbed to sleep herself.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**__ I don't claim to know the exact technique for fishing with one's hands. That being said, let's just say this is how it works just for this story. ;)_


	6. Affinity for Ice

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And another chapter is up! Just a warning, there's some minor language in this chapter._

_On another note, I'm changing up the posting schedule for this story. Due to increasing real life responsibilities, I must unfortunately cut back the posting schedule of this story from twice a month to once a month. I simply can't keep up everything at the rate that I'm going, but rather than stop writing completely, I've opted to just slow things down a bit until things settle down. I appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter. This story shall update every fourth weekend of the month from here on out._

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ Guest – Thanks for the review! :) They should marry huh? Lol. You made me smile with the married couple comment. Hehe. They are adorable together, aren't they? XD_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 6: Affinity for Ice<span> ~ ***

"Do you even know where you're going?"

"What does it matter?" Phoenix snapped, glaring over his shoulder. "I thought you weren't following me."

"I'm not!" Weiss huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She continued walking behind the rogue.

"Then stop asking!"

"I can ask whatever I want, Degenerate!"

"Ugh!" Phoenix threw up his hands in exasperation.

It was a weird sort of relationship.

Between Weiss and Phoenix, that is.

While Weiss made it very clear she absolutely loathed Phoenix, the rogue doing the same, neither of them parted from each other's company. After facing off against Atlas mercenaries and the legendary Grimm just days ago, one would have to be suicidal to go off alone now, especially here in the Emerald Forest. Who knows what other horrors they'd face in the coming days.

"You're going the wrong way."

Hands balled into fists as Phoenix went as rigid as a board, the rogue forcefully continuing his march forward. "You are seriously not starting that up again!"

Yet as much as they needed each other, if only for another pair of eyes, that didn't stop them from being at each other's throats most of the time.

"What?" Weiss said, affronted. "It's not like I'm wrong."

"Gods!" Phoenix exclaimed. "Do you never shut up!?"

The moment dawn broke and breakfast was had, Phoenix packed up his sparse belongings and took off again. Weiss quickly trailed behind the man she'd only known for days, her material possessions really next to nothing. It didn't take long for her to catch up to him, nor did much time pass before the arguing started up again. It was almost like a competition, a race to see who would snap first, the silence between them never a welcome respite. Today, it would be Weiss starting things off, and the arguing hadn't stopped since.

"How dare you!" Weiss yelled, her own hands clenched into fists. Stomping up to Phoenix, the man having suddenly stopped in front of her, Weiss reached forward and grabbed him by the shoulder. "I'll have you know-"

Weiss nearly had a heart attack when a calloused, yet somewhat soft hand clamped over her mouth. Phoenix pivoted to face her in an instant, his free hand raising to hold the back of her head before she was shoved backwards behind the nearest tree. As frightened as she was in those seconds, somewhere in the back of Weiss' mind the former princess noted just how small Phoenix's hands were. They were smaller than the hands of every single man she'd come across and had ever known. Small enough to be a woman's hands even. But, with the rogue quickly pressing Weiss' back against the tree, Phoenix invading her personal space leaving a scant inch or two between them, such a thought was quickly cast aside from Weiss' mind, though not entirely forgotten.

"Quiet!" Phoenix hissed, daring a peek around the tree they were hiding behind. "Grimm."

Weiss immediately froze at the rogue's words, the white haired girl stopping just short of kneeing the man where the sun didn't shine. Only now that they had stopped arguing, that they had stopped walking, could she make out soft grunts and squeals up ahead. Reaching up, she wrapped her hand around Phoenix's wrist, the one covering her mouth and gave it a slight tug.

Getting the message, the rogue slowly dropped his hand from her mouth, allowing Weiss a glimpse of his long, slender fingers. His now freed hand moved to hold onto the tree trunk to the right of her head, effectively boxing her in with his arms. Phoenix's other hand had moved to the opposite side of her head when he dared a peek before that, that one also gripping onto tree bark.

"How many?" Weiss quietly enquired, too afraid to look around the tree herself. The last time she did that, things didn't exactly turn out well.

Violet eyes squinted, Phoenix nodding slightly this way and that as he took a mental tally. "Six or seven of them," the rogue said softly seconds later. "Looks like a small herd. A few big ones. The rest, small."

"Beowolves?" Weiss' mind was already whirling with contingency plans. Everything from escape routes to what she should do should a fight break out again. That seemed to be her life as of late.

Phoenix shook his head. "Not Beowolves," the rogue said. "Pig things."

_Pig things?_ Scrounging up every single fibre of courage she had, Weiss dared a glance around the tree. Brushing up against the rogue's arm, the one on her right side, Weiss sucked in a shaky breath as blue eyes peered passed tree bark.

Just as Phoenix had said, there were Grimm ahead, maybe thirty to forty feet up stream. They were pig looking in nature, wild ones at that. Except instead of brown skin, it was black, complete with bone plates on their back and sides. The Grimm also bore full bone plated face masks, curved tusks extending outwards from their mouths. Having frightfully stared enough, Weiss pulled her head back quickly, her heart thrumming in her throat.

As relieving as it was to know the Grimm hadn't noticed their presence yet, Weiss couldn't but be amazed at how docile the Grimm were when out in the wild. They were not hostile in the least. In fact, they looked rather tame as they dipped their bony heads into the river to drink from it.

Ever since finding the river days ago, the pair had stuck close to it. Not only did it provide a constant source of fresh water and food (that being fish), it also served as the only recognizable landmark they had in the Emerald Forest. By all logic, if they continued to follow the river, it would eventually lead them out of the forest and back to humanity.

At least, that's what Weiss hoped. For all she knew, they were walking around in circles, the river quite possibly being a large ring rather than a straight through like she was expecting. Never in her books had Weiss read anything about rivers going in circles, but then again, this was the Emerald Forest. Somehow though, Weiss knew the river was straight. She didn't know how, but she just... did. Call it a feeling...

"They're leaving," Phoenix said, breaking Weiss out of her thoughts.

Weiss said nothing as Phoenix peered around their hiding tree, out of fear of alerting the Grimm to their presence if she did. Three minutes would pass before Phoenix finally moved, pushing away from the tree and Weiss, allowing the white haired girl some much needed space. Weiss' first reaction was to shiver, the Schnee successor never really realizing just how warm (and as abhorred as she was to admit it, protected) she felt with the rogue being so close to her. Only when he stepped away from her did Weiss truly feel it.

"Do you think they'll come back?" Weiss whispered. She anxiously scanned the area up stream.

"I don't plan on sticking around to find out," Phoenix replied in a hushed, tense tone. Taking one step forward to walk past their hiding tree, the rogue halted when Weiss' hand grabbed at his right wrist and yanked him back an inch.

"What are you doing?!" Weiss hissed, trying to keep her voice low. Nervous blue eyes darted back and forth all around them in anxiety.

Phoenix turned back to look at her, clearly annoyed. "What part of '_I don't plan on sticking around_' don't you understand?"

"But they could still be nearby!" came another hushed exclamation from the sole heir of Schnee.

"Even more reason to leave now. Before they decide to come ba-"

Violet eyes widened, the rogue looking down at their connected limbs a split second later. Weiss' hold on Phoenix's wrist was knuckle white at this point, the former princess trembling violently despite her best efforts to stifle such motions. Raising his gaze again, Phoenix sighed before bringing up his free hand to rub his forehead.

"Staying a few more minutes couldn't hurt, I suppose," Phoenix begrudged, much to Weiss' elation. "Just to make sure they're gone," the rogue added as an after thought.

Relief flooded through Weiss' veins at those words, the white haired girl quickly slumping to her knees, releasing her death grip on Phoenix's arm. Fear and anxiety turned into fatigue and exhaustion, the fear of having to face the Grimm again taking more out of Weiss than she would have liked. At the sound of scratching, Weiss looked up and blinked in surprise. Blue eyes landed on the rogue in mid climb, Phoenix scaling their hiding tree as deft as a monkey, and nearly soundless for that matter, save for the minor scrapings of the man's boot against bark.

Despite the logical part of her brain telling her to demand of the rogue what exactly he was doing and why, Weiss found herself staring at Phoenix open mouthed instead. The man had a rather graceful gait to him, Weiss' gaze focusing particularly on the sway of his hips and the flexibility of his limbs as he reached upwards for tree branches above his head. Weiss had never seen such agility in a man before, but then again, she had never been in the company of a rogue before either.

"W-W-What are you doing!?" Weiss squeaked, her face going red when she realized she was staring. She quickly turned her face downwards, just as the rogue settled himself on a thick branch a quarter way up the tree. Hopefully, he didn't catch her watching him.

"I can see farther from up here," Phoenix said, his tone lacking any hint that he caught Weiss staring at him earlier.

Weiss sighed inwardly in relief.

"That herd of Grimm is heading west," Phoenix continued, oblivious to the tensing of Weiss' shoulders. "I say we should give 'em another few minutes before moving again. Don't want to chance them hearing us."

"R-Right," Weiss exhaled shakily. Her shoulders slumped forwards again.

Despite the incident with the Beowolves happening days ago, Weiss still found herself freezing up at the mere mention of them. It was rather silly, really. That horrific experience was long over now, yet Weiss still couldn't shake the absolute terror she felt when she first looked into the Beowolf's empty eyes.

"Say, what do you think about ice?"

Weiss blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

The white haired girl looked up at her companion, thankful to the rogue for unknowingly breaking her current line of thoughts. With the leaves providing ample shade from the sun, it was rather hard to make out Phoenix from his current perch up in the tree. At best, she could make out his shadowed form, her eyes locking onto the lighter material of his neck scarf in the shade.

"Ice," the rogue repeated. "You know, water when it freezes?"

"I know what ice is, Rapscallion!" Weiss huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not stupid!"

Arguing. Yes. Weiss welcomed the arguing with open arms. It was something comfortable for her, familiar. When she argued with Phoenix, she didn't have to think about the Grimm or Atlas mercenaries. She didn't have to think about how they were lost in the enchanted Emerald Forest. She didn't have to think about how scared she was to be out here on her own. There was only her, and Phoenix. Nothing else.

Phoenix shifted on his branch overhead, undoubtedly rolling his eyes at Weiss' comment. He'd done it so many times now in the past few days that it would have been odd for him not to now.

"So what do you think about it?" the rogue questioned again.

Weiss stared at her present company, unblinking. "It's cold," Weiss stated blankly. She shifted to sit with her back resting against Phoenix's lookout post, her legs bent at the knees to her left. "What of it?"

"I think it suits you," Phoenix commented, earning him a dark glare. The rogue laughed. "Now, now," the man said, shifting some more. "Before you get your knickers in a knot-"

"How dare you!"

"- just hear me out."

Silence reigned between them, Weiss continuing to glare up at the rogue above her. She couldn't keep it up for long however, the former princess feeling the nervousness creeping up on her again without Phoenix's voice to distract her from it.

"Oh fine!" Weiss huffed again, puffing out her cheeks as she turned her gaze towards the river nearby. She was acting like a petulant child, she knew, one which undoubtedly affected her prim and proper reputation in a negative way. It hardly mattered though. As childish as it was, it was a small price to pay all things considered.

Phoenix chuckled, earning him another glare. "You know," the rogue said. "You really are _aww_dorable when you pout."

"_Excuse me?!_"

Ohhhh! If looks could kill, Phoenix would have been dead so many times by now. As if it wasn't bad enough that she was lost in some enchanted forest with mercenaries out to kidnap her, Grimm out to kill her, and starvation threatening to do her in, now Weiss' only company was hitting on her! The nerve! And don't even get her started on those horrible puns either.

"Easy now, Princess," Phoenix quickly said. "I-

"My name is Weiss!" the white haired girl exclaimed. "Get that through your thick skull, _Degenerate!_"

"Alright, alright," Phoenix said, actually sounding apologetic. "Sorry. I didn't mean to get you all wound up." A sigh. "One would swear you'd never received a compliment in your life before," the rogue muttered under his breath.

Weiss nearly growled, having heard that comment anyhow. "Is there a point to all of this?"

Ice blue eyes were throwing daggers at the rogue.

"Oh right!" Phoenix said, as if suddenly remembering what they were talking about in the first place.

Weiss rolled her eyes, her fingers digging into the muscle of her arms. Fingernails scratched at the material of her jacket sleeves as she sought to reign in her temper. Among other things. Anger was quickly forgotten however, and replaced with sadness when Phoenix spoke again.

"I think your Affinity is for ice," the rogue said.

Weiss eyes widened a fraction before she turned her gaze away again. "You are mistaken," the white haired girl said. "Only those with Auras have Affinities. And I have neither."

Auras. Affinities. Weiss was well versed in those concepts. As a child, she had been naturally drawn to those topics, no doubt finding the idea of Mana and the Elements exciting. Aura was said to be the manifestation of one's soul. Similar to Dust, people could use their Aura to manipulate the world around them through their Affinities.

Affinities were the elements people with Auras used, whether it be fire or water, or earth or wind. Those four were the main and strongest elements people could tap into, but there were other, lesser known elements such as metal which people could develop an Affinity for. Not all people were born with Auras however, and as such, not everyone had Affinities.

Just like Weiss.

"You sure?" Phoenix asked, pulling Weiss out of her thoughts again. "How do you know that?"

"My father," Weiss simply replied. She stared wistfully at the cool waters drifting past her mere feet away. Something about the motion of water always soothed her when she watched it.

"He was born without an Aura," the former princess continued, still not meeting her companion's gaze. "As such, neither was I, and hence why you're wrong."

Phoenix was clearly not pleased by that response, the man making a noise of disagreement before speaking. "That's a load of bull shit if I ever heard it."

"Language!" Weiss chastised, a frown marking her features.

"Yeah?" Phoenix replied, challenge in his voice. "Get used to it sweetheart. You aren't a princess anymore, so what does it matter?"

Weiss opened her mouth to retort, only to close it seconds later. Phoenix did have a point. Defeated, her gaze drifted to the side again, towards the swaying grass moving in the gentle breeze.

"Look," the rogue said, gaining Weiss attention once more. She didn't look at Phoenix, but she was listening.

"Just because your father or whoever didn't have an Aura doesn't mean you don't have one too. I don't know who told you that, but things just don't work that way. You have an Aura, Weiss."

Weiss looked back at Phoenix in aggravation. "So you've apparently convinced yourself. For what reason why, I haven't a clue."

"How do you think your ankle healed up so quickly, hmm?" Phoenix retorted. "Heck! How did you think you'd saved me from the Beowolf days ago, huh? Was that all in my imagination?"

Weiss opened her mouth to speak. "I..."

The former princess was at a loss for words. While her faster than normal healing rate was nothing out of the ordinary (she already knew that from childhood), the incident from days ago was still a big jumble to her, one filled with so much fear and terror.

Weiss remembered the red eyes of the Beowolf. She remembered running on a twisted ankle, pain tearing up her foot and leg as she ran. She remembered being knocked over and then being surrounded. She remembered being helpless as they swarmed her. Then she remembered Phoenix swooping into the scene like the mythical bird he was named after. She remembered him burning the Grimm asunder. Then the Ursa came and they were running again. And then... And then... And then she was on the ground, Phoenix was about to be ripped in half, and all she wanted at that point was for everything to stop, to halt, to_ freeze_-

"Hey."

Weiss jumped when a hand squeezed her shoulder, the white haired girl looking up from her shaking hands to find Phoenix right beside her. When he had jumped down from his watch post, Weiss didn't know. All she knew was that she needed him close by. Right now. Violet coloured eyes looked at her with concern, Weiss' breath hitching in her throat as she was pulled in for a hug.

"Sorry," the rogue said quietly, rubbing Weiss' back. It was soothing.

"I didn't mean to stir up bad memories."

Weiss trembled in the rogue's arms, everything in her logical mind screaming at her to get as far away from him as she possible could. That and the fact that Phoenix's chest felt a bit too padded to be normal, but that thought was pushed aside for later when there weren't more pressing matters at hand. In spite her ingrained instincts, ones currently telling her to flee, something about Phoenix made it impossible for Weiss to do just that. Instead, the former princess curled into the rogue more, burying her face in his shoulder, all the while clutching at this cloak with white knuckled fists.

Ever since she left the safety of the White Castle, the realization that she was truly cut off slowly dawned on her. Only when she met the hollow gaze of the Beowolf days ago did it truly hit her. How vulnerable she was. How helpless she was. How alone she was. She was terrified. And every further moment she spent in this forest, lost, just added to the increasing despair she felt to be on her own for the first time in her entire life.

"That's right," Phoenix cooed, holding Weiss close. "Let it all out."

But she wasn't all alone, was she?

Weiss openly sobbed.

Phoenix was here with her too. And he just wasn't here, and that was it.

Despite all their arguing, despite being inches away from wanting to ring each other's necks, Phoenix was slowly teaching her how not to be so helpless and vulnerable anymore. He was teaching her how to be self sufficient. He was teaching her how to live. From fishing to making fires (when he wasn't blowing up things with his damned Dust crystals or Boom Sticks), to how to cover up one's tracks and things to watch out for when hiking. He was treating her like a person. She was not some doll or figurehead to him. She was Weiss. Not _Princess Schnee_. And while she wouldn't dare call him a friend, given all that had happened so far, he was the closest damn thing she had to one.

"We'll rest up here a bit more before continuing onwards," Phoenix said, his voice was soft. "Don't want to get caught by those Grimm come nightfall."

Weiss just nodded, not trusting her voice right now.

"Okay," the rogue said, stroking Weiss' hair gently.

So wrapped up in each other, neither Phoenix nor Weiss noticed when a shadowed blur darted between the trees fifteen feet to their left. Light as a feather and just as silent, the blur would continue on for a long time, eventually meeting up with a certain herd of Grimm.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**__ Well, that was a thing. Lol. In case it wasn't clear, the Grimm Weiss and 'Phoenix' came across were Boarbatusks. Just to clarify, Grimm in this story are treated like regular (albeit corrupted) animals. Hence the need to drink water, etc._

_For the purposes of this story, you can see Affinities as being a person's Semblance. _


	7. The Feeling of Falling Part I

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And another chapter is up! I__'m still fighting with writer's block, so this chapter may not be up to par with the rest so far. Please note, I've taken certain liberties with a few characters and their personalities in this chapter and the next. You'll see what I mean when you read it._

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ Guest – Thanks for the comment. :) The answer to your question is... you'll just have to wait and see. XD That's actually a frequent question I get, but all I can say is that the identity of the 'thing' following Yang and Weiss will be revealed in later chapters. :)_

_ Guest – Thanks for the comment. :) Freezerburn? Maybe a little bit. Hehe. There's more to come, so stay tuned! _

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

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><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 7: The Feeling of Falling Part I<span> ~ ***

_~ Emerald Forest. Mid Afternoon. ~_

"Stay with me, Weiss! You hear me? Stay with me!"

Shaking hands gently laid the white haired girl's prone form down on the half shredded brown cloak next to the riverbed. Literally ripping the yellow scarf from her neck, Yang quickly dabbed at the smear of crimson spreading across Weiss' face, the wound across Weiss' left eye bleeding profusely. The former princess whimpered in response to that pressure, the unconscious girl sluggishly turning her head away to escape the pain. Yang wouldn't let that happen however, the blonde pressing her scarf to the wound firmer now, using her free hand to hold Weiss' face still.

"It's going to be alright, Weiss. You're going to be alright!"

Weiss whimpered again.

Yang cursed, the rogue staring at the black veins becoming more and more visible through the white haired girl's fair skin. Weiss' injury wasn't even an hour old yet, but the poison had already progressed this far, making Weiss' skin flushed and hot to the touch.

Yang cursed again.

"M-Mother..." Weiss murmured breathlessly.

Clenching her jaw, Yang quickly surveyed the scenery around them, lavender coloured looking back the way they came.

She should have known.

She should have known something like this would happen! How could she have been so blind?!

* * *

><p><em>~ Emerald Forest. Early Morning. ~<em>

Yang was in trouble.

Soft booted footsteps were the only things heard currently, aside from the regular wild life of the forest, the proximity between the pair minimal.

Yang was in so much trouble right now and it wasn't even noon yet.

An unrecognizable noise sounded, echoing through the forest, its source unidentifiable. White shifted closer to yellow, pale fingers clutching onto the edge of a brown cloak out of comfort.

The morning had started off like any other. Yang awoke at the first light of dawn, many of the birds and other fauna rousing with her. As she blinked the last remnants of sleep away, the rogue pushed herself to sit up, only to find her left arm pinned down. Snapping awake instantly, lavender coloured eyes immediately darted to the thing holding her arm prisoner. A slumbering Weiss Schnee was curled up flush against Yang's side, the former princess hugging Yang's left arm to her chest, her face nuzzling the rogue's shoulder.

Yang was quite flustered for a good few minutes, to say the least, until she got her wits about her.

After carefully and uncomfortably (not really) extracting herself from the white haired girl's grip, Yang went about preparing breakfast like she usually did. Today's menu consisted of some fresh bass and hand picked wild fruits. Only when the fire crackled and the smell of cooking fish wafted in the air did Weiss awake, Yang doing everything in her power not to look at her for long periods of time.

It hurt.

That one organ in her chest, hurt.

"_Phoenix?"_

It had been so long since Yang felt anything from that thing beating in her chest. After a certain someone fell victim to... it was as if Yang couldn't feel anything anymore. Of course, she still felt pain when she got injured. She still felt the wind when it blew past her. She still felt the cold hard ground underneath her whenever she laid down for a night. But that was not the same.

"_Phoenix? Is something wrong?"_

Then again, nothing would ever be the same. And no matter how much she wanted things to go back to the way they were before, it never would.

So Yang wandered.

"_Phoenix?"_

It didn't matter where she went or how long it took her to get there. She just wandered. From cities to towns. From small hamlets to larger villages. Yang travelled constantly, as if searching for the missing piece of her. Yet nowhere she went did she find what she was looking for.

That is, until now.

"_Please say something."_

Gods! Why were things so complicated!?

A small hand touched her cloaked shoulder, pulling Yang back from her thoughts. Rather than punch the person's lights out like she usually did when someone invaded her personal space, the rogue merely turned to the owner of the hand blinking in confusion.

"Huh?"

Weiss frowned at her. "Is something wrong?" the white haired girl repeated.

"I... What?" Yang said looking around, still confused.

"Well..." Weiss began, taking a quick glance around also. "It's just that you've stopped walking and..."

"And?"

The former princess' frown deepened as she dropped her hand back down to her side.

"You're shaking."

Yang pulled her gaze away from her companion to stare at the hand she brought up to her face. True to Weiss' word, her hand was shaking.

"Are you alright?"

The white haired girl's question was met with silence.

Weiss Schnee. Daughter to King Schnee. Princess and Heiress to the Vytal Throne. Mirror of Yang Xiao Long's soul.

Yang didn't know what it was about the girl, but Weiss shook her down to her very core. Perhaps it was because she reminded Yang so much of her younger self, back then the blonde lost and alone, very much like how Weiss was right now. Or maybe it was because of Weiss naivete, the former princess trusting Yang to do her no harm after only knowing her for a handful of days. Or maybe it was just Weiss' innocence, a thing Yang thought she had lost a long time ago with the death of... her...

"Phoenix?"

Whatever it was about Weiss, if they ever were going to get out of this place alive, Yang had to squash these confusing thoughts down. As soon as she could. The world wasn't one of sunshine and rainbows after all, a hard lesson Yang learned many years ago.

Yang made a fist. _No, I am not alright. _ Lavender coloured eyes narrowed, the rogue dropping her hand back down to her side.

"I'm fine," Yang said tightly, her lips pursed.

"Are you-"

"I said I'm fine!" Yang exclaimed, her head snapping towards her companion like a whip.

Weiss instinctively stumbled backwards a few steps, her eyes wide with fright.

Realizing what she was doing, Yang's gaze softened, the rogue looking away shamefully. "S-Sorry," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I just... didn't get much sleep last night. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"N-No," Weiss said, her voice softer than usual. "It was my mistake for bothering you with-"

Weiss squeaked in surprise when Yang threw an arm around the her shoulders and pulled her in for a one arm hug.

"Don't worry your little head about it," Yang murmured, rubbing Weiss' shoulder. "This forest just has me a bit uneasy, you know?"

Weiss nodded, but remained silent. The ex-heiress rested her head against Yang's shoulder, her hands clutching at the rogue's brown cloak with white knuckled fists. Yang swallowed thickly.

"We should keep walking," Yang said after a few seconds, pulling away from Weiss and recouping the distance between them. There was a flicker of emotion in Weiss' eyes when she did that, but the white haired girl quickly hid whatever it was before the rogue could question her about it.

Giving her companion a small nod, Yang faced forward again and began to walk. Her steps paused for half a second when she felt a smaller pair of hands latch onto her forearm above a dormant Ember Celica. Rather than shake them off like she knew she ought to, Yang continued the trek forward, ignoring the thrumming in her chest.

* * *

><p><em>~ Emerald Forest. Late Morning. ~<em>

"Afternoon travelers."

Lavender coloured eyes narrowed a fraction at the trio in front of them. While on the outside she appeared to be the epitome of calm, the rogue was anything but that.

They had been walking for just over four hours now, the sun high in the sky, indicating it to be some time close to mid day. Usually around now, they would take a break, Weiss weary in spite of the stamina she had gradually built up from all the walking so far. Spotting a shaded clearing ahead, the pair immediately drifted towards it, seeking shelter from the sun. Had Yang not been so distracted with her thoughts, the rogue would have quickly realized what a mistake that was. Sadly, that was not the case, Yang sensing the presence of others nearby too late. There would be no way for them to withdraw without being seen now.

"Come, join us," the tallest of the trio said. "It's not often we meet others on our travels."

The clearing itself wasn't all too big, maybe the size of a medium sized pig pen. Decapitated trees framed this shaded spot, three of them in total, the fallen trunks providing ample sitting room around the roaring fire in the middle of it. It was clear this was one of the few common rest spots for travelers passing through the Emerald forest, the normally knee high grasses trampled down until only dirt remained. The tree trunks serving as seats were dry and cracked in some areas, the wood sanded down in others from constant use over the years.

Facing the fire with their backs to Yang and Weiss were two girls. They looked to be twins by Yang's guess, one covered up in a white cloak, the other in a dark red one. As the girls twisted around to look at them, the rogue caught sight of dainty dresses and stockings, both of which matched the colours of their cloaks. Sitting to the right of the girls on a second log was a broad shouldered man, the man wearing a dark grey, almost black, looking cloak. His hair was trimmed close to his head, the man sporting a beard and thin mustache. Underneath his cloak, he wore a white shirt and black pants. All of them were unarmed, no weapons in sight, but Yang knew very well just how deceiving looks alone could be.

"My name is Junior," the man continued, standing up to greet them. "And these are my daughters, Melanie and Miltiades."

"Hello," Miltiades, the one wearing the red cloak and donning short back hair, said. She waved at them politely.

A flash of light immediately caught Yang's attention in that action, the rogue noting what looked to be dark red bracelets, possibly high end copper jewelry, adorning Miltiades' wrists. Glancing at Melanie, Yang quirked an eyebrow at the what appeared to be silver anklets accessorizing the girl's white boots. Melanie smiled at them.

"It's nice to meet you," the white twin said, her long black hair fluttering in the gentle breeze behind her.

Yang remained quiet.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, the twins looked back to Junior, the man meeting their gazes for a moment before returning to Yang and Weiss. "What might your names be?" he asked.

Yang fought against the urge to ball her hands into fists.

Everything in the rogue's gut told her to grab Weiss, to toss her over her shoulder and to run for their lives in the opposite direction. Despite having at least fifteen feet between them and these three strangers, Yang felt no less threatened by their presence than if they were standing right next to her. Weiss seemed to have noticed something about them too, for the white haired girl looked mighty uncomfortable in their presence. That, or it could have been the uneasiness rolling off of the rogue which the former princess picked up on. It was hard to tell.

"You two don't talk much, do you?" Melanie asked, a frown on her face. "Or at all."

Weiss opened her mouth to say something, but Yang gripped her by the forearm firmly, silencing her.

"Melanie!" Miltiades hissed, turning to her sister. "That's rude!"

"But no less true," Melanie said, a tinge of annoyance heard in her voice.

"Now, now girls," Junior said with a hesitant smile. While his voice came across as gently chiding, Yang knew it was far from that.

"I'm sure these travellers are just tired from their journey."

Yang tensed the moment Junior reached for something next to him on the ground. The object was a water skin in appearance, Junior picking it up before making his way over towards them.

"You know how we all get when we're tired and haven't see people for-"

_WHAM!_

The water skin Junior was holding hit the ground with a plop. Junior, on the other hand, went flipping head over heels into the air. He thudded into a tree opposite the campfire back first, slumping to the ground limp.

Yang retracted her right fist.

"What in the kingdom are you doing!?" Weiss exclaimed, rounding on Yang nearly hysterical. Clearly she wasn't expecting the rogue to do that. "Are you out of your mind!?"

Yang paid no attention to her companion, her eyes focused on the remaining two in front of them.

"Do you have any idea-"

"I told you it wouldn't work."

Weiss did a double take at the twins.

Melanie looked at the unconscious Junior with distaste, the young girl slowly rising to her feet, dusting off her cloak. The anklets on her boots clinked in that movement, at the same time seeming to shimmer unnaturally given the amount of light there was in this area. Yang's free hand clenched into a fist.

"Well, it was worth a try," Miltiades said. She too rose to her feet and dusted herself off before turning to Weiss and Yang. The dark red bracelets on her wrists glowed a blood red before they literally became liquid like water, the metal shifting and elongating. Seconds later the metal would cool and harden, and what was once bracelets was now three foot long short swords.

"I knew it," Yang said, growling. Ember Celica deployed on her arms.

"What gave us away?"

Melanie slowly stepped over the tree trunk that was her seat. She continued to advance towards Yang and Weiss at a snail's pace, forcing them to back up in order to maintain the distance between them. Weiss shivered the moment Melanie's predatory gaze hit her, the former princess shuffling behind the rogue.

Yang's glare was vicious. "What kind of _father_ would bring his two _daughters_ to a place like this?" she nearly growled again, her voice lower than usual. "Unless-"

"Unless they could handle themselves quite fine or better?" Melanie finished on Yang's behalf.

"Oh, he's smart," Miltiades commented, giggling. She followed her sister's example and started walking towards the retreating pair as well.

Weiss shuffled behind Yang nervously.

"A shame really," Melanie said, looking Yang up and down. "I would have loved to play with this one."

Yang brought her hands up in front of her, her teeth bared under her scarf.

"But orders are orders. And he has to die."

The white twin laughed making Yang's fists clench even tighter.

"Dibs on miss mousy over there," Miltiades said, licking her lips as she looked past the rogue.

"What!?" Weiss squeaked.

Yang stepped in front of her companion completely, forcing Miltiades' attention back onto her. "Weiss."

The white haired girl jumped at the sound of her name.

"P-Phoenix?" came the ex-heiress' stuttered reply.

"Run," was all Yang said, before the rogue took off charging forward.

Five fist sized fireballs rocketed through the air at the twins, both of them flipping backwards twice to dodge the flaming projectiles. Melanie was the first to recover between the two, the girl in white immediately racing towards Yang, dodging the barrage of fireballs Yang continued to send at them with barely any effort. With her opponent racing around to her right side and rapidly closing the gap between them, Yang slid to a halt, squaring herself to Melanie, launching another wave of molten hot orbs.

Melanie danced around the speeding projectiles with the agility of a snake. Somersaulting forward with only five feet between them, the white garbed girl quickly went airborne to deflect away one of Yang's fireballs with the heel her boot. Never taking her eyes off of her opponent, a flash of light coming from her opponent's footwear caught Yang's attention as the white twin righted herself in the air. Before she could make heads or tails of what that meant, a whooshing sound reached her ears, Yang immediately dropping into a crouch on instinct. A crimson short sword tore through the air above the rogue's head, missing it by mere inches.

Oh, they were good. They were very good. And that was very bad for Yang. To fight just one of them was going to be tough. But to fight the two of them working perfectly in sync with each other? Lesser men would have fallen by now.

But Yang was no man. Not including current appearances.

Leaping to her feet, Yang's left fist shot forward, launching a fireball at the red twin who had just slid to a halt seven feet away from the rogue. Like before, the girl easily dodged that attack with a backwards aerial flip. Movement in her peripherals had Yang doing an about face to meet a blur of white and another flash of steel. Barely bringing up both arms in time to cover her face, Yang was sent skidding backwards five feet on her heels from a powerful and surprisingly bladed kick. Ember Celica took the brunt of the hit.

Dropping her arms down a few inches searching for her opponents, Yang quickly noted the twins regrouping in front of her, fifteen feet away. Making use of the momentary reprieve, lavender coloured eyes zeroed in on Melanie's boots. There were three blades now sprouting outwards from the heels, the anklets originally adorning the white footwear nowhere to be found.

Sneaky girl.

Yang cocked back her right fist, shooting it forward again an instant later. The Burn Dust Stones powering Ember Celica lit up like a chain of flares in that motion, a mass of condensed flames exploding outwards from Yang's extended fist. Melanie cartwheeled forward to evade the flaming blast, Miltiades wasting no time in closing the distance between her and Yang as that happened.

Armed with her short swords, both of them a deep crimson colour, Miltiades slashed diagonally upwards with her right blade before she pivoted on her heel and finished the combo with a cross attack with both blades. Yang just barely deflected those sharp edges away with Ember Celica, the blades ripping through the edge of her cloak instead. Stumbling backwards from the force of those attacks, Yang only had a moment to breathe before Melanie was on her again. The white cloaked girl took a flying leap at the rogue, Yang forced to retreat further as she blocked the bladed kicks aimed at her face.

Trying to take advantage of Melanie's open side as she landed on the ground again, Yang launched another fireball at the girl mere feet away from her. The white twin quickly dropped into a low crouch as if expecting the move, the attack sailing wide over her head. Miltiades, who was rushing the rogue in line right behind her sister, deftly swatted the stray fireball away with her short swords, her charging rush not the least bit hindered. Just as Yang surged forward to meet the red twin's blitz, her front most foot was kicked out from underneath her by Melanie, throwing her off balance for a moment, giving Miltiades the time she needed to close the remaining distance between them.

Yang hissed through clenched teeth as Miltiades' blade connected with her shoulder. Had it not been for her Aura springing to her defense, the blade would have struck bone. Instead, it merely tore through brown cloak and garb, leaving a line of red on Yang's skin. Momentarily jarred by that close call, Yang quickly found herself defenseless against a series of kicks, the twins combining their efforts, double teaming her. Six kicks to the upper torso later, the rogue was completely tossed off of her feet and flung into the air. Yang hit the ground face, hard, seconds later.

"Tch."

Staggering to her feet, Yang spat blood, her split lip stinging annoyingly. The twins smugly watched her as she reached up and swiped at the line of blood rolling down her chin with the back of her gloved hand.

"My, my, he is a resilient one, isn't he, Miltia?" Melanie said, grinning.

"He is, Melanie," Miltiades replied, an equally wide grin on her face. She licked her lips, her green eyes hungrily boring into Yang. "But that just makes it all the more fun."

Lavender coloured eyes narrowed.

"Fun?" Yang echoed, a grin of her own stretching across her face. "Let me show you the true meaning of fun!"

With adrenaline pounding away in her veins, Yang stared at the twins for all of a second before she aimed both her fists behind her, Ember Celica discharging fireballs again. Propelled forwards, Yang's form literally blurred from that unconventionally speed booster. Two seconds was all she need to close the distance between them, Melanie yelping when Yang's right fist connected with her stomach. Only the girl's Aura saved her from being blown in half completely, Melanie hurled into the air like a rag doll by a burst of flames. Miltiades stared at her screaming sister in shock and disbelief, that momentary distraction a costly one for her.

Yang's left arm shot out like a bullet, Miltiades barely intercepting that hit with her short swords. Her blades clanked noisily off of Ember Celica when the connected. So jarred from the force of that blow, one which made her entire body rattle, Miltiades didn't register Yang moving again until she was meeting the rogue's right cross face first. With the red twin stumbling backwards, disoriented, Yang continued her forward momentum, spinning on her heel and following up with a complete 360 degree turn and a left backhand. While Miltiades just barely managed to evade that hit in time, also blocking the follow up roundhouse kick to the face with her elbow, Yang's assault didn't let up in the least.

Yang lashed out with a left jab to the upper body, followed by a right jab and another left jab in quick succession. Miltiades blocked them all, all except for the sweeping kick which sent her lurching head first at the rogue, that is. Before the other could even go that far, Yang was hammering away at her again, three fiery and explosive uppercuts to the chest, neck, and face sending the red twin airborne with a scream. Miltiades' blades went flying in opposite directions. As gravity took hold and the swordswoman fell back down to ground, Yang pulled back her fist, Ember Celica shimmering red. An inferno of a punch connected with Miltiades' jaw seconds later, the red twin cratering a nearby tree. She crumpled to the ground silently.

Yang hunched over, breathing hard.

That was too close. Much too close for the rogue's liking. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Yang examined the area around her, her gaze falling on two downed forms. Melanie, was currently sprawled on her stomach, her upper body hanging over the fallen tree trunk in camp she had originally used as a seat. Miltiades was in a heap at the base of a tree to the left of her sister, closer to still roaring and untouched campfire twenty feet away from Yang. Neither girl moved, save for the slow rising and falling of their chests.

Yang exhaled in relief.

Despite taking a beating, Yang was rather proud of herself. All throughout the fight, she made sure to keep herself between the two girls and the direction she assumed Weiss fled to. That was not an easy feat, all things considered, but she still did it. Yet in spite of that accomplishment, that and being the last man (or rather woman) standing, Yang still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling festering inside of her.

Something about this group made her nervous. Their skills were too refined to be that of a common thug. And the clothes they wore, they were too... high quality for them to be low levels thieves also. Thinking about it further, it seemed as if they knew Yang, or at least that they were waiting for her and Weiss. But how could that be possible when even Yang herself didn't expect for things to-

The ground rumbled.

Straightening up with a jerk, Yang's gaze darted left and right, the rogue searching. A squeak sounded behind Yang, the rogue immediately spinning around to face the source. What she found had her eyebrows raising in shock.

"Weiss?"

Weiss Schnee stumbled out from behind a tree ten feet away from Yang, the white haired girl clearly flustered at the sudden noise, one which echoed all around them.

"P-Phoenix!" the ex-heiress shouted, the girl staggering her way towards the rogue.

"Weiss!" Yang took off running towards the white haired girl.

Within arms reach of each other, the rumbling stopped, leaving only quiet. Weiss and Yang skidded to a halt in each other's grasp, Weiss swallowing nervous as she looked at the rogue. A bead of sweat rolled down Yang's cheek, the blonde finding herself caught up in an ice blue gaze. At the sound of booted footsteps behind her, Yang immediately went on the defensive, the rogue spinning around to face their attacker pulling Weiss behind her. Raising her gaze, lavender coloured eyes met glaring grey ones.

"You'll pay for that," Junior said.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **__The end!_

_Just kidding!_

_This chapter was originally much longer, as in 10,000+ words long. Rather than drop a mountain of text on you, the readers, I've decided to split up this chapter into two._

_The fight between Junior and the twins is heavily based on the fight Yang had with them in the Yellow trailer. More details about this will be in the next chapter's author's notes. While I'm sure some of you can kind of guess what type of Semblance/powers Melanie and Miltiades have, I won't really go into that until the next chapter's author's notes._

_Now I know some of you will wonder why Yang is having a hard time fighting Melanie and Miltiades. After all, she kicked butt against the Beowolves a few chapters back, right? So what are two girls to her? While Yang did us all proud kicking Grimm butt, fighting against animals (which essentially are what Grimm are) is much different than fighting against Aura powered people. Unlike people, animals can not scheme, they can not strategize, they can not create their own weapons, etc. They move on instinct, no logic or sensibility. And hence why Yang is having a harder fight against the twins. _


	8. The Feeling of Falling Part II

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And the second half is up! S__till fighting writer's block here, so I apologize in advance for the lower quality of this chapter._

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ ScytheReaper – Thanks for the comment. :) How do I describe combat scenes so well? To be honest, I'm not quite sure. This question has come up before in some of the other works and how I replied to that is this. I see myself as someone who's watching a tv show or a movie of some kind. As a writer, all I do is just write down what I see in this 'tv show/movie'. That's the best way for me to describe it. Picture yourself as a camera of sorts and pretend there is no sound and you can't use hand actions to describe what you're seeing. How would you describe what you've seen to someone with those restrictions? That's kind of what I do. :)_

_ Guest – Thanks for the comment. :) I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. If you liked the last one, I think you'll like this new one now. ^^_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 8: The Feeling of Falling Part II<span> ~ ***

_~ Emerald Forest. Late Morning. ~_

She shouldn't have been here.

"You'll pay for that," Junior said, the man glaring hatefully at Yang. He stood twenty feet away from the rogue, just at the edge of the camp site.

Weiss should have been long gone by now, not standing here with Yang, staring wide eyed as six fist sized stones rose in the air from behind Junior, the stones hovering at his sides.

"Oh you've got to be-"

With the flick of Junior's wrist, the stones rocketed towards Yang and Weiss like homing missiles.

Yang instinctively shoved Weiss to the right, the former princess yelping as she lurched behind the closest tree. Chancing a glance to the side to ensure Weiss was indeed out of harms way, Yang barely managed to face forwards again, her arms crossed in front of her face, before the first projectile hit. The first stone struck her hard in the gut, the rogue sputtering for breath as she stumbled backwards a few steps. Despite her Aura taking the brunt of the assault, it still felt like a charging bull had gouged out her innards. And that was just the first shot. The remaining five stones hit her consecutively seconds later, all of them taking chunks out of her cloak and Aura, leaving Yang with palm sized welts and bruises.

Now Yang knew how the people on the receiving end of her fireballs felt.

Ouch.

"Phoenix!"

"Stay back!" Yang hissed, her stance wobbling.

At the sound of scratching, Yang's head shot up, the rogue gritting her teeth as Junior called forth more stones to his disposal. His left palm was open and facing upwards as this happened, the stoney projectiles hovering loosely in the air around him. With the closing of Junior's fist, the rocks once again rocketed towards Yang, but this time she was ready. A split second before she was stoned, literally, Yang somersaulted forward, ending up in a crouch. The second volley of rocks shot over her head harmlessly, splintering a tree fifteen feet behind her.

Junior snarled, summoning more rocks from his surroundings, the man clenching his fist shut and launching them at Yang for the third time. Unlike the first two times this happened, rather than dodge or defend against this newest set of missiles, the rogue stood her ground and faced them head on.

"Phoenix! Get out of there!" Weiss shrieked from behind the cover that was her tree. Her shouts would be ignored.

Fists flew straight and true, Yang shooting missiles of her own from a red glowing Ember Celica. Fireballs met hurtling rocks in booming explosions of grit and dust, over and over again until a cloud of dust separated the two combatants, shrouding visibility. Just when Yang dispatched the last of the stoney missiles threatening to take her head off, Junior came leaping through the dust cloud in front of her, wielding a double handed great hammer made of loose stones of all sizes.

Stones met enchanted metal in a loud crash of sound, Yang's arms painfully tingling under the sheer force of the hit in spite of Ember Celica's protective embrace. Grunting, she raised her right fist to defend against the follow up horizontal swing from Junior's patchwork stone hammer, only to cross her arms in front of her face again a split second later to stop her head from being caved in. Lavender coloured eyes widened in surprise when Junior's heel connected with Yang's stomach, the rogue sucking in a chocked breath as she momentarily lost her footing.

Taking advantage of Yang's broken guard, Junior smashed her up into the air with a walloping swing, the rogue hitting the ground on her right side nearly ten feet away, hard. An audible crack sounded the moment Yang hit the ground, a searing pain in her hip and ribs making her cry out in agony. Winded and battered, Yang would have passed out then had she not locked eyes with a terrified Weiss. The sheer panic and fear on the white haired girl's face was enough to snap the rogue out of her stupor, Yang shaking her head to clear it. Apparently that last hit had smacked her backwards enough to now be in line with her travelling companion.

Yang silently cursed. Were it not for her Aura, she would have literally become a smear of red gore on that stupid hammer!

"What's the matter, Phoenix?" Junior mocked, taking a few steps towards the still downed rogue. "That all you got?"

Yang narrowed her eyes, her gaze snapping back to the gloating man. She growled as she rose to her feet shakily. A hand clenched at her right side, the rogue swaying unsteadily on her feet.

"What did you just call me?"

Junior smirked, resting the hilt of his hammer against his shoulder. "Surprised?" the man sneered. "Don't be. I know all about you, Phoenix. About why you're out here. About the bounty."

Junior glanced at the white form peering out at him from behind a nearby tree.

"About a certain runaway princess."

Weiss inhaled sharply.

Yang's free hand clenched into a white knuckled fist. It took everything she had not to look over at Weiss right this instant.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the rogue said.

"Sure you don't," Junior said, the hammer wielder nearly singing his words. The grin on Junior's face was malicious.

"But that doesn't matter now, now does it? Once you're out of the way, there will be nothing stopping me from getting that bounty."

Grey eyes shifted to Junior's left.

"Along with some fun," Junior said, shooting a lecherous look at Weiss.

"Not in your life time!" Yang roared, jabbing her free fist forward.

The Burn Dust Stones on Ember Celica lit up like a star, a fireball rocketing at Junior from Yang's fist. Junior easily dodged the blast, the hammer wielder merely leaning to his right a foot, the fireball shooting clear of him. Turning his gaze back to the heavily panting rogue, the grin on Junior's face went even wider.

"Oh look! Another fireball!" he laughed. Junior set his great hammer down on the ground, head first in front of him, resting his hands on the end of the hammer hilt.

"I'm shaking in my boots."

"Shut up!" Yang snapped, whipping another fireball at the man. Like before, Junior shifted to one side and easily dodged the blast.

Yang gritted her teeth, a low, throaty growl escaping her lips. Things were not looking good for the rogue right now. With her Aura at an all time low, Yang wasn't confident she could beat an opponent who was clearly stronger and more experienced than her. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, there was still the whole thing with Weiss to sort out.

"Oh? Burned out, have you?" Junior mocked.

Yang clenched her jaw to stop herself from yelling profanities. Glancing downwards quickly, lavender coloured settled on one specific pouch hanging off of Yang's belt. Despite things looking grim, she still had yet to use _that_. There was no doubt in Yang's mind it would turn the tables in her favour once she used it. The only question now would be if Junior would give her the time to enact her plan. Unlike those stupid Atlas mercenaries who really didn't know any better, it was obvious Yang's current opponent was well informed.

"Some _phoenix_ you are," Junior said, smugly.

Yang's gaze flitted over to the man again. She smirked.

"Oh Junior," the rogue said, slowly reaching down for her right belt pouches. "I was just playing with you. You really haven't seen anything yet."

"Yeah?" Junior said, giving Yang an unimpressed look. "And what are you going to do? Shoot another fireball at me and hope this one hits?"

"Something like th-"

A crimson projectile forced Yang to abandon her belt pouches in favor of swatting it away with Ember Celica. The rogue quickly ducked under a second crimson missile which followed the first, the said projectile clanking to the ground noisily behind her after overshooting her. Chancing a look over her shoulder, Yang spied two blood red short swords.

"About time you two woke up."

Two figures, one red, one white, limped up to Junior's right side.

"I was starting to think you two were going to waste the rest of the day away sleeping."

Melanie huffed, looking at Junior in disgust. "Says the one who went down first before he could even lift a finger."

Junior growled.

"You haven't gotten rid of him yet?" Miltiades said, narrowing her eyes at Yang.

Yang's hands clenched into white knuckled firsts. There was no way she was going to be able to drink her Shadow Kat potion now. With the twins conscious again, a surprising feat considering the beating the rogue gave them, there was no doubt in Yang's mind that they'd all swoop upon her the moment she tried something funny. That left very few options at the rogue's disposal right now, most of which included some form of running away. While Yang was by no means a coward, she wasn't a fool either. Only a fool would stay to fight a battle they could not win.

"Must I do everything?" Junior said gruffly. "My job was to get us here. You two were to do the rest."

Melanie harrumphed. "Whatever," she said, taking her gaze off the hammer wielder.

Green eyes turned back to Yang and Weiss, Weiss flinching at their intensity just at the corner of the rogue's vision.

"What?" Yang said, lowering her stance a bit. "Didn't learn your lesson the first time? Need me to smash it into your thick skulls again?"

Yang cringed slightly when Melanie laughed. It made a chill run down her spine.

"My dear, dear, Phoenix," the white twin said, walking over to her sister. Melanie wrapped her arms around Miltiades' shoulders, nuzzling her cheek against her sister's. Miltiades returned the gesture, cuddling against her twin, wrapping her arms around Melanie's waist.

"It is you who hasn't learned his lesson," Melanie said, purring.

Junior smirked at this comment, drawing Yang's gaze only for a moment.

"Shall we do it, Miltia?" Melanie asked, pulling her face back just enough to look at Miltiades in the eye. Only an inch separated their faces.

Miltiades smiled, leaning her forehead against Melanie's. "Yes," she said, licking her lips. She turned her gaze back to Yang, her stare anything but innocent. "Let's."

The grin on Melanie's face was demonic.

"Alright."

Yang's feet shifted an inch in anticipation.

For a moment, there was only silence. Then everything happened all at once.

"Phoenix!"

Time slowed down to a crawl for Yang as she spun around to face Weiss. Normally the rogue wouldn't have taken her eyes off of her opponents, especially ones as dangerous as these. To look away would mean death or dismemberment or some other horrible thing like that. But Yang couldn't ignore the sheer horror and panic in the white haired girl's shout, Yang quickly assuming the worst when she turned to face Weiss.

The _worst_ could not even begin to describe what was happening.

Weiss was running at Yang, screaming at her, her face pale. Out of the corner of her eye on her left side, Yang could just make out Melanie, the white twin's left arm extended in her direction, the girl's fingers curling inwards in a come hither motion. At the opposite edge of the rogue's vision there was movement, Yang turning her head to the right to investigate. To her shock, she found Miltiades' crimson blades, both of them airborne and shooting at her head.

There was no time to dodge them.

An agonized scream.

Yang's chest heaved as she struggled to breathe, the rogue crashing to the ground on her back with a thump. Pain flared all over her body, her face paling, her muscles spasming, her vision blurring, but she barely noticed any of that.

A pained whimper.

"P-Phoenix..."

No, all Yang noticed now was red staining white.

"W-Weiss?"

No.

No, no, no, no, no! This was not happening. This was not happening! Not again. NOT AGAIN!

A head of pearl white hair was the first thing which met Yang's gaze as she looked down at herself. Moving past the head of hair, the rogue caught sight of a familiar form, Weiss' form, the girl laying half on top of her with Weiss' head resting on Yang's stomach. Ignoring the agony in her limbs, Yang hastily pushed herself upright, the rogue immediately cradling the whimpering, smaller girl in her arms. Weiss was clutching at her face, her left eye to be specific, liquid crimson leaking through the former princess' fingers. One of Miltiades' blades lay on the ground off to Yang's right, dripping red.

"Weiss...?"

The said girl shuddered, her breaths coming out in heavy pants.

"Phoe... nix..." Weiss said in barely a whisper.

"Well," Junior drawled, blinking at the scene in astonishment. "That was a surprise. I didn't think the princess had it in her."

"Neither me," Melanie said, pulling away from her sister some to get a better look at the pair opposite them.

"Weiss?" Yang repeated, her voice breaking, her eyes hot with tears. She was completely oblivious to the trio at her back, watching them. Unable to tear her eyes away from the white haired girl, from all the blood, Yang watched as Weiss' liquid life now ran down her arm.

Why was this happening all over again!?

Yang couldn't breathe.

"Hmpf!" Miltiades huffed, displeasure clearly heard in her tone. "That was anti-climatic."

"Indeed," Melanie said. "I thought he was supposed to be strong."

"Weiss?" Yang said again, almost choking. "P-Please... please say something..."

After another deep body shudder, Weiss' right eye cracked open. Yang gritted her teeth at the pain she saw in it, her throat tightening when the ex-heiress forced out a small smile. The smile didn't last very long, for soon Weiss' right eye rolled up in her head and Weiss went limp.

"Weiss!?"

Yang barely heard the thumping of boots which stopped right behind.

"It's too late for her now," Junior said, his hammer resting loosely against his shoulder again.

Yang hugged the unconscious girl closer to her. "Why is that?" she growled, the rogue refusing to look anywhere but at the girl in her arms.

"Why do you think?" Melanie replied with a snark. She gave Yang a look, crossing her arms over her chest as Miltiades reached past the rogue to pick up her fallen blade.

Before the red twin could pull back her arm completely, Yang's hand shot out and grabbed Miltiades by the wrist. Ignoring the girl's surprised yelp and the shout of her sister, Yang brought the blade up to her face. Aside from the blood on the tip of it, the blade itself seemed much too shiny and glossy to be normal. Taking a whiff of it, Yang quickly understood why.

Poison.

Miltiades wrenched her hand free from Yang's grasp with a growl, the red twin immediately backing up out of the rogue's line of sight to rub her wrist. Even without facing them, Yang could feel the twins' glares boring holes into her back. Yang bowed her head, her jaw clenched.

"Why?" she asked after a few seconds, the shadows of her cloak hood and scarf hiding her face. "What did we ever do to you?"

After some minor shuffling, Junior spoke up. "A job's a job," he said, no hint of malice in his voice. It was as if they were discussing the weather.

"Surely a bounty hunter like yourself understands that. It's nothing personal."

A job.

That's right.

That's all this was. Just another job.

It was supposed to be easy. Save the princess. Collect the bounty. And then live the rest of her life without a care in the world.

Gods, what a fool she had been all this time.

A shadow loomed over Yang from behind.

"Any last words?" Junior asked, his stoney hammer seen at the very edge of Yang's vision.

The rogue shifted slightly, pulling Weiss closer to her yet again.

"Yeah," Yang said. Under the cloak of shadows, lavender coloured eyes turned red.

"There is one thing."

"What's that?" Junior questioned, deciding to humour her.

Red eyes looked up, the Burn Dust Stones both on Ember Celica and in Yang's belt pouches flaring scarlet.

"I burn."

The southern most part of the Emerald Forest erupted in flames. A geyser of pure fire shot up from the middle of the chaos, one which could be seen from every neighbouring city and town around it.

* * *

><p><em>~ Emerald Forest. Mid Afternoon. ~<em>

She had to counteract the poison and stop the bleeding.

That would have been very easy if Yang had had all of her vials of various potions still intact. Unfortunately for the rogue, upon further inspection, the crack she thought had been her hip fracturing during the middle of the fight actually turned out to be her landing on and crushing her precious supply of remedies instead. Which left Yang with only one option now if she wanted to save Weiss' life.

Unlocking Weiss' Aura.

"Son of a Reklats!" Yang cursed, a fist clenching at her side, her knuckles white.

Yang was no expert on Aura. While she knew a bit more about the topic than most common folk, even she knew she was in over her head right now. For the better part of five minutes, the rogue had been trying to jump start Weiss' Aura, frantically channelling every ounce of her own into the white haired girl despite barely having any left from the fight. And for five minutes, all she got was resistance, one of which baffled her so completely until a tell tale flash of white light emanating from Weiss' left hand caught her attention.

Son of a Reklats indeed.

Yang hadn't been kidding when she told Weiss she had an Aura. The ex-heiress may not have believed her, but it was true. The feeling of Weiss' Aura was always the strongest whenever the girl was near water, hence why Yang brought her this close to the riverbed. And while Weiss' lack of Aura (well, more like hiding Aura) never ceased to confuse Yang, never in Yang's wildest dreams did she expect the reason for that being a high level Dust seal effectively suppressing it.

Lavender coloured eyes glared hatefully at the seal glowing brightly on the back of Weiss' hand. It was the size of one of Yang's Burn Dust stones, the ones that powered Ember Celica. The seal itself was in the shape of a snowflake, the Schnee family crest, the magical glyph imprinted on Weiss' very skin. How Yang hadn't noticed such a thing before now was beyond her. Then again, never before had she been this close to the former princess for so long aside from when they slept recently.

Another whimper from Weiss drew Yang out of her thoughts.

Still maintaining pressure on Weiss' eye wound, with her free hand, Yang scrambled to open one of her belt pouches. Most of them were useless now, the ones once holding her vials of potions filled with broken glass, the syrupy contents of those same potions having long soaked into the leather pouches, ruining them. The pouches which once held Yang's extra Burn Dust stones weren't any better off, those pouches burned to a crisp. In her rage over Weiss' injury, one she only got because of the rogue, Yang had set them all ablaze, causing the entire section of forest they were in to go up in flames.

Finding the pouch she sought, Yang gingerly withdrew a half cracked vial of pale liquid. Half of the vial's contents were gone, the potion having seeped through the cracks at the top of the container. That left only half of the Aura boosting concoction Yang had come to rely on from time to time, this vial being the only one out of them all having somewhat survived her fall from before. Taking a quick glance back to her unconscious companion, Yang quickly downed the remnants of the Shadow Kat potion. As Yang waited for the potion's effects to take hold, her gaze wandered back over to the seal shining brightly from Weiss' hand.

The King of Vale couldn't have done this himself. Given what Weiss had already revealed in their time together, this was most likely the work of one of his many sorcerers. Considering Weiss' lack of memory about it, it was a fair guess that the white haired girl's Aura unlocked at a very early age. The King, not having one himself, grew jealous of his own daughter, eventually succumbing to vanity and greed, having Weiss' Aura sealed away with no one the wiser. While he could have just killed his daughter to save himself trouble, the scandal that would arisen from such a thing would have no doubt lost him favour with the people.

Pathetic.

Gods, Yang hated that man so much right now. If she was ever given the opportunity to punch him in the future, the rogue would gladly take it, caring not of the repercussions which followed. Yet as much as it would have pleased Yang to watch King Schnee suffer for all his misdeeds, now was not the time to think about that. Time was of the essence for Weiss right now, and with Yang's Aura (the last dregs of it) starting to flare in response to the Shadow Kat potion, now was the time to act. Yang could only hope that the shock of Weiss' Aura being released after all this time would be enough to cleanse the poison running rampant through Weiss' body. If it wasn't... well... Yang refused to think about that right now.

_For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. ~_

Small flames licked off of Yang's body, the rogue's eyes closed and her head bowed. Concentrating all of her remaining Aura into her hand, Yang reached out to hold Weiss' hand, the one with the seal.

_Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. ~ _

Flames sizzled as words were spoken, the pulsing of Aura making the white seal flicker. Yang gritted her teeth when she felt her Aura coming up against that invisible wall again, the rogue starting to pant with effort as the Schnee seal resisted against her, even now with her boosted Aura.

_Infinite in distance and unbound by death... ~ _

The Schnee seal flickered, the light from it going off and on, then off again, then on. Much to Yang's anger and annoyance, the seal still held.

_I... ~_

Yang was breathing hard now, her Aura quickly fading, the flames crackling off of her skin slowly dying out. But the rogue refused to give up, Yang forcing more Aura against the Dust seal.

_~ ... r__elease... ~_

Cracks in the white seal could be seen now, little ones at first, before they expanded more and more. Soon the entire seal was fractured, but the stubborn thing still held fast.

_~ ... y__our... ~_

"Come on, Weiss," Yang muttered. A flaming hand held a glowing, sealed one. "Don't give up on me. COME ON!"

_~ ... __SOUL! ~_

With only a sliver of Aura left, Yang put everything she had into it, smashing her Aura into the Dust seal holding Weiss' Aura hostage. Nothing but silence greeted the rogue when her Aura finally died out, her vision blurring, Yang on the verge of passing out. Just when the tears of frustration and failure fell, an explosion of white engulfed her vision, Yang hurtled into the air through an invisible force of enormous strength. Six seconds later, the rogue came crashing down to the ground again, ten feet away from where she previously sat. Before unconsciousness claimed her, a violent shiver worked its way through her battered body, lavender coloured eyes blinking as the rogue shook the fog from her sluggish mind. Only when she pushed herself to her hands and knees did Yang go rigid, her mouth hanging open in shock at the sight in front of her.

Ice covered every thing in sight. The river, the muddy ground, the trees, nothing within a twenty foot radius of the still unconscious white haired girl was left unscathed. Flakes of snow drifted down lazily to the now frosted ground, large spikes of ice, ones at least five feet tall and as wide as a man, circling around the former princess. Groaning and exhausted, Yang crawled over to the ice wall surrounding her companion, the rogue shivering as she did so, her breaths coming out as wisps of white mist. Using the shards of ice as support, Yang eventually climbed over the sharp towers, landing with a thump on her back next to the slumbering Schnee. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Yang lethargically rolled onto her side to look at the white haired girl, reaching out with a shaking hand to touch her cheek.

Weiss was much cooler to the touch now, the ex-heiress no longer panting or gasping for breath. The white haired girl's veins, once pitch black, were a barely noticeable grey colour now, Weiss' veins barely seen through her skin. Yang's bloodied scarf still covered the former princess' wounded eye, frozen solid like the rest of the things in the immediate vicinity. With a shaking hand, Yang reached for it, only for her scarf to dissolve into snow flakes the moment she touched it. Despite the loss of her prized accessory, one given to her by a dear friend, Yang couldn't but breathe in relief when she got a full view of Weiss' face.

In place of the bloody mess that was once Weiss' wound was now a single pink scar running vertical down the white haired girl's closed eye.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **The fight between Junior and the twins is heavily based on the fight Yang had with them in the Yellow trailer. For the purposes of this story however, I've changed a few things about it. _

_Aside from throwing in a few different hits, I changed all of evil trio's weapons and powers/semblances. To fit with the world I've created, I've given Miltiades short swords instead of claws, Junior a great hammer instead of a batzooka but kept Melanie's bladed heels. With regards to their semblances, Miltiades has the ability to change the shape of metal, Melanie has the ability to move copper with her Aura (think copper-kinesis) and Junior has the ability to move rocks with his Aura (rock-kinesis). That's why Miltiades bracelets turned into short swords (Miltiades also turning her sister's anklets into bladed heels). This also explains how Junior's hammer came about, that being Junior using his semblance to create one out of loose rocks lying about. Melanie was responsible for her sister's short swords nearly impaling Yang through the head. _

_I've also shortened the fight between Yang and the trio. As much as I wanted to put the whole thing in, it would have made the chapters much too long, and would have dragged on too much in my opinion. Not to mention, it was very tiring to write those fight scenes, believe it or not._

_Yang's last words to the trio before going flaming nuts (forgive the pun XD) was taken from her theme song "I Burn." _

_The words used to unlock Weiss' Aura (a mantra Yang was saying to herself in her mind) were the same words Pyrrha spoke in the Emerald Forest when she unlocked Jaune's Aura. The only difference is I just chopped the last sentence in half._

_Reklats is actually a made up word. It's 'stalker' spelt backwards (as in Death Stalker). I wanted a fantasy word for Yang's curse, may it be a name of a creature or whatnot, but after researching some and not finding any that I liked, I resorted to backwards spelling of Grimm beasts. _

_And yes, this is how Weiss got her scar. Lol._

_For those of you wondering why Weiss got poisoned and not Yang (as Yang did get scratched by Miltiades blades), the reason behind that is that the poison needed to get into the bloodstream to work. Yang only got scratched, not to mention, her Aura took the brunt of that attack, so she was left unscathed by the poison the blades._

_Now before any of you question how Yang's belt pouches (the ones holding her Dust stones) burnt to a crisp, especially considering her clothes are supposed to be fire proof because of her semblance/Aura, consider this. It's one thing to fend off the heat from Yang's Aura over a consistent period of time. It is also an entirely different thing to have to deal with half a dozen to a dozen Burn Dust stones going super nova for a split second of time all at the same time. So in essence, the seals originally keeping Yang's clothes fire proof kind of got overloaded when her Burn Dust stones exploded, and hence leaving her pouches as ash. But her clothes survived, so it's all good. XD_


	9. Eyes Wide Open Part I

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And I've managed to get this done faster than I thought! Like the previous chapter, I've decided to split up this chapter into two parts. The last thing I want to do is overwhelm you readers with a giant wall of text. ^^;;; _

_Again, apologies for this chapter. Writer's block is still giving me a hard time, so this chapter may not be quite up to par._

_There is something which came up in the reviews that I want to quickly address. _

_This story is NOT canon. __By definition, Fanfiction is not canon. While some fanfiction writers come close to mimicking canon, fanfiction is fiction done by fans. Everyone has their own interpretation of the characters, the story etc, and this one is no different. This story is an AU (short form for Alternate Universe), and that means while it has some elements of canon, it deviates from it at the same time. This has already been shown with Junior and the Malachite twins and how their Aura/Semblances have been changed to match the world that I've created. From day one of this story, I have not hidden that this is an AU. I have not proclaimed this to be a strictly canon story either. As such, expect differences in this story from the actual show._

_If any of you are looking for strictly canon stories, this story is not for you. All canon things come from Monty Oum and Roosterteeth, as they are the creators of the RWBY series. While it's always nice to see readers new and old discovering my stories, you are by no means forced or obligated to read them. It is your choice whether or not you do so. _

_If this story IS NOT for you, I wish you all the best. Thank you for taking the time to read the story to this point. I hope you may someday find what you're looking for._

_If this story IS for you, stay where you are and keep reading. There are many more twists and turns (and a few surprises) still to come, all of which I think you'll have fun with. Lol._

_Now that that's over, onto the story! :)_

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ Reader - __Thanks for the comment! It's always wonderful to see comments from new readers to the story. I think however there's some confusion on your part. Never once in any of my Author's Notes have I said that I will be taking away Weiss' glyphs. In fact, if you refer back to chapter 4, when Weiss saves Yang from the lone Beowolf (just past the halfway point of the chapter), you'll see that Weiss uses a gylph to save Yang. Now with her Aura unlocked, you'll *cough* spoiler *cough* being seeing more of her glyphs being used. Hehe. Thanks for the comment. :)_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 9: Eves Wide Open Part I<span> ~ ***

"_Yaya…"_

_Eyes fluttered open slowly, a hand coming up to rub the sleep from her eyes. Groggily taking in her surroundings, she quickly spotted a small shadowed figure in the dark, standing next to her bed. Silver eyes shined in the dim moonlight leaking through the crack in her drapes, the sliver of light highlighting a lone picture frame sitting on her desk near the window. In the picture, there were two young girls – one blonde, one redhead – both of whom stood with their parents in front of what appeared to be their house._

"_Bad dream?"_

_The little girl nodded._

_She shuffled over in the bed, her hand patting the newly made empty space next to her. _

"_Climb__ in," she said, a yawn escaping her._

_The form standing next to her bed immediately complied, the little one quickly crawling onto the bed next to her and scurrying under the blanket. She felt the familiar sensation of a smaller, worn blanket brush up against the skin of her bare arm as the smaller girl settled in next to her, the girl's short hair tickling her neck as she lay her head down on her chest. Without thinking, she curled an arm around the smaller girl protectively, a soft smile stretching across her lips as her eyes closed again for sleep._

"_Yaya?"_

_She hummed sleepily._

"_Ruru ish sowwy."_

_Eyes blinked opened again and she peered down at the girl next to her. _

"_Huh?" she questioned with the grace of a sleepy five and a half year old._

"_For wakey Yaya up." A sniffle._

_At that pitiful sound, she rolled onto to her side, pulling Ruru into a two armed hug._

"_No__ sorries, Ruru," she said, not minding it in the least as a small head nestled into the crook of her neck. "Wakey Yaya up anytime."_

_Another yawn escaped her willing mouth, her head tilting down as she buried her nose into Ruru's hair. She gave the girl a quick kiss on the head. "Yaya will always protect Ruru."_

_Ruru nodded slightly, small hands gripping at the front of her shirt. "I wub you, Yaya," was the murmur._

_The smile on her face widened as she hummed drowsily. "Wub__ you too, Ruru."_

_Curling just a bit more into the younger girl, she quickly drifted off to sleep._

* * *

><p><em>~ Emerald Forest. Early Morning. ~<em>

She could feel it.

The ebb.

The surge.

The flow.

Opening her eyes, Weiss was momentarily blinded by the early morning sun, a pale hand raising to shield her face from its warm rays. Unlike previous mornings, which were usually dull and cold, upon waking up on this particular morning, things felt... different.

A right sort of different.

Slowly getting her wits about her, the white haired girl marvelled at the sights and sounds around her. Everything was just so fresh, so abundant, so full of life. The colours were brighter. The sounds were sharper. The smells were stronger. Hearing a soft splash to her left, Weiss turned her head towards the source, her blue eyes spying the river they had been following for the past couple of days. The river's crystal clear waters allowed Weiss to see all the way down to its shallow bottom without difficulty.

Weakly rolling onto her stomach, Weiss shakily pushed herself up to her hands and knees. Ignoring the tattered and worn brown cloak which slid off of her form in that motion, Weiss grumbled under her breath at how out of shape she was, the former heiress weakly crawling over to the river side. With her arms and legs straining under her own weight the whole time, Weiss couldn't but question how her body had degraded to this point. It was as if she had slept for days with no food or drink, all of her strength having left her as a result. Unknown to Weiss, that wasn't too far from the truth. She had been unconscious for the better part of three days, which led to her current state.

Once close enough to the water's edge, Weiss immediately plunged her left hand into the flowing water, not the least bit affected by the nearly frigid temperature. Forming a kind of scoop with her fingers and palm, Weiss quickly brought her make shift cup up to her mouth and drank greedily. The cool river water was almost sweet on her lips, the key to all life rejuvenating the white haired girl far faster than it should have for a regular person. Not satiated with her first drink, Weiss quickly moved to drink again, the white haired girl only freezing in her motions when she noticed her reflection on the water's shifting surface.

"W-What..."

A trembling hand reached up to trace the vertical line of pink scar tissue running down her left eye, Weiss flinching when her finger pad touched the newly healed skin. She had expected some sort of pain, or at least sensitivity, given that this mark was recent. To her surprise, she felt neither. Weiss exhaled heavily, relieved. Despite not remembering how she got this scar in the first place, she was thankful she had not lost half of her sight with it.

Reaching down again for her second drink of water, Weiss tensed, her head quickly twisting to the side to look over her shoulder. She felt it before she saw it, a brown blur of something ducking between the trees closer to the horizon. But, just as quickly as it came, it was gone, taking with it any presence it had. Weiss held her breath for a few seconds, watching and waiting to see if the blur would return. It wouldn't, and that didn't bode well for the former princess.

Weiss bit her lip nervously.

"P-Phoenix...?"

Surely she wasn't the only one who saw and felt that, right? The rogue must have seen that too?

Hearing no reply, Weiss dared another quick drink from the river before turning around to look for her travelling companion. Since meeting each other weeks ago, and despite not always agreeing with the other, Phoenix and Weiss stuck together, often keeping each other in sight range if not arms reach whenever possible. Relying on this fact now, Weiss quickly scanned the immediate vicinity for partner.

"Phoe-"

For the second time in the span of minutes, Weiss found herself going rigid, her actions freezing mid motion. A familiar, yet frighteningly tattered brown cloak lay forgotten on the grass just a few feet away from Weiss, but that was not what she was currently staring at right now. While the discarded article gave the white haired girl some relief, it being an indication that the rogue was nearby, or that he was at least here not too long ago, Weiss' sole gaze was focused on something much more concerning at the moment, a person she hadn't noticed upon awakening just minutes ago.

It was a woman.

Long locks of golden hair cascaded down the woman's head, past her shoulders and reaching mid back. The skin of her face was a nice cream colour, not overly pale, yet at the same time not overly dark either. At least, what she saw of the woman's dusty cheek that is. A dark yellow shirt, one which was darkened even further with grime, covered the woman's upper torso, the woman's right sleeve missing from the elbow down, the sleeve on the woman's left non-existent from the shoulder down. Black form fitting pants, now splotched grey in some parts from dirt, hugged the woman's long legs, various tears and rips seen all over the fabric. Worn brown leather boots, knee highs, covered the blonde's legs, a pair of golden gauntlets adorning the woman's forearms. A worn brown leather belt wrapped around the woman's waist, small pouches seen attached to the back of it.

And Weiss couldn't but stare.

Sitting with her back almost flush against a nearby tree, her knees up to her chest and her arms resting on top of her knees, it was hard to tell who this woman was. Weiss couldn't see the woman's face from this angle, the blonde's face buried in her arms, yet even so, that didn't stop the strong sense of familiarity Weiss felt with her. The presence the blonde exuded was immense, something Weiss would say was akin to that of a sleeping dragon. Yet despite how preposterous that idea was (because really, how could a person even compare to a dragon?), it was the truth, and no one would be able to convince the former princess otherwise.

Going against her better judgement, that being to avoid this stranger who could quite very well be another bounty hunter out for her head, Weiss slowly crawled up to the slumbering woman, almost completely soundless save for her own tight breaths. Settling herself down in front of the blonde on her knees and sitting back on her heels, Weiss reached forward with a shaking hand and gently pulled some golden locks away from the woman's partially hidden face, tucking it behind her ear.

A frown creased Weiss' brow.

Now that she was closer, Weiss could see how awful this woman looked, her current state of health that is. Just like her pants, the woman's dark yellow top was full of rips and tears, of various lengths and severity. There was also a palm sized piece of dark yellow missing from her shirt on the left side, just under the woman's arm down to the waist, its edges scorched black. The bit of fair skin seen through that hole was a purple and green colour, the bruising continuing on under the rest of her garments from the looks of things. And on the woman's bare arms were all sorts of red lines and scratches, the lot of them etched across her pale skin like some sort of intricate tattoo. More bruises dotted the flesh of her arms, though those dark spots congregated more so around her golden bracers than anywhere else.

Gold.

Blue eyes slid downwards, Weiss' stare once again drawn to those magnificent accessories. While those gauntlets were oh so familiar to Weiss, horrifyingly so, the white haired girl was still uncertain as to why. Tracing her gaze over the woman's gauntlets, taking in all the little details, Weiss hoped that would be enough to jog her fuzzy memory.

Greyish pink octagonal cut Dust stones wrapped horizontally around the bracers, almost directly in line with where the woman's wrists would be. Weiss frowned, knowing that those stones should have been a dark red colour, yet continued on with her visual inspection of the item. Lines of onyx (or at least what appeared to be onyx) ran along the outer edge the accessory, giving it both a bold and powerful look. _One benefiting a person with such a strong presence,_ Weiss' mind added as an afterthought. Succumbing to the urge to touch it, Weiss was pleasantly surprised by warmth of the metal as she slid her finger along the-

Bloodshot lavender coloured eyes snapped open in an instant.

A head of blonde hair jerked upwards as muscles rippled and flexed, the woman's hands instinctively balling in a fists. Immediately overwhelmed by a pulse of savage heat, Weiss' breath hitched in her throat, the former heiress stilling in her current position out of fear. Fire and brimstone quickly overtook her senses, leaving the white haired girl choking and wheezing for breath. Just when Weiss thought she was going to suffocate, the fire and the searing heat died, and all that was left was a warm and comforting feeling.

Teary lavenders softened at the sight of shocked sapphires.

"W-Weiss…?"

At the sound of that raspy, nearly cracking voice, Weiss snapped out of her stupor and reeled backwards in a panic, gasping.

"Oh gods Weiss!" the woman croaked, the blonde's entire body shaking as tears spilled down her cheeks. "I-"

"W-W-Who are you?" Weiss quickly sputtered, her throat dry, the white haired girl hastily scrambling backwards and putting distance between them. Somehow she managed to stagger to her feet in her fumbling, nearly tripping over her own boots and falling back on her rear in the process.

"Wait Weiss!"

Weiss' heart was pounding as the blonde shot up to her feet, the quick and graceful movements of the woman both familiar and driving Weiss crazy because she still couldn't remember why.

"D-Don't come any c-closer!" Weiss exclaimed, her voice trembling in a weak warning.

The woman reached out a hand to her, causing Weiss to shuffle backwards nervously, the former heiress momentarily flailing when her heels backed into the remains of a dead campfire. She quickly righted herself before she could fall however, Weiss immediately putting the campfire's ashes in between her and the other woman when she got her balance back.

"Wei-"

"I said don't come any closer!"

Rage.

Pure and dark rage is what Weiss felt in that sudden burst of fire earlier. It was the most terrifying thing she had ever felt before, save for when she was captured by those Atlas mercenaries a while ago, along with another memory she couldn't quite remember at the moment. Something about dual red blurs and hitting the ground.

Without thinking, Weiss snatched up one of the stones lining the dead campfire from the ground and held it in front of her like a weapon.

"Where is Phoenix?!" the white haired girl demanded. "What have you done with him!?"

At the sight of the jagged stone wavering in Weiss' hand, the blonde stopped her advance and held up her hands slowly.

"Weiss," the woman said. "Just… Just calm down, alright? I'm not going to hurt you."

The woman's tears had stopped for now, her expression one of twisted confusion and fear.

"Where is Phoenix!?"

Weiss' voice trembled, as did the rest of her body. But not because she was afraid. Well no, she was afraid, but not in the usual sense. Weiss was not afraid of this woman. While she knew the blonde was a fighter, based on her looks and the way she moved, Weiss knew she had nothing to fear from her. It was that comforting presence the blonde exuded which scared her, making her feel at ease, safe, protected.

There was only one person who had made Weiss feel that way, a certain annoying and at times pun awful rogue. But Phoenix was nowhere in sight right now, which meant one of two things. One, Phoenix had abandoned her (something Weiss highly doubted and would vehemently deny until she saw proof of otherwise, even then she would probably deny it). Or two, this woman had done something to Phoenix, whether injured or killed him, and was going to do the same to Weiss the moment she lowered her guard. Weiss was not going to let that happen. Not after what happened to her before.

The blonde broke eye contact with Weiss for a moment and looked to the side deep in thought. Chewing on her lip for a few seconds, it appeared she came to a decision, the woman locking eyes with Weiss again, taking in a deep breath as she did so.

"Weiss," the blonde said.

Weiss tensed, the grip on the stone in her hands going knuckle white.

"I know this is going to… come as a shock… but believe me when I say this."

A swallow.

"I'm Phoenix."

Weiss blinked.

The woman calling herself Phoenix blinked.

Weiss blinked again.

The blonde woman in front of Weiss blink-

"DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL!?" Weiss screeched, the white haired girl hurling her rock at the blonde's head with surprising accuracy.

The woman instantly dropped into a crouch, her eyes wide with shock as the stony projectile sailed through the air where her head once was. It was very clear she hadn't expected such a powerful shot from a lefty, especially with that lefty being Weiss. The rock landed behind the blonde in the grass seconds later with an audible thump.

"I won't ask you again!"

Weiss' heart reverberated in her ears, her breaths coming out in heavy heaves. The longer this stand off went on, the more wound up Weiss became. It made no sense, none whatsoever. This woman, this… blonde, why did Weiss feel this way about her?

"Weiss, please!" the blonde woman said, desperation in her voice. She rose to her feet again and took a step towards Weiss.

Weiss took a trembling step backwards in response. "Stay away!"

"You have to believe me!" the woman continued, taking another step towards the white haired girl.

Weiss stumbled backwards another step, her blue eyes darting all over the place, looking for an exit.

"I said stay away!"

Weiss could dart off in any direction she chose to right now. But that would do very little, considering she didn't have a clue as to where she was going. Not to mention, Phoenix was still missing and Weiss would never forgive herself if she ran off and left him to die because of her cowardice. He had stuck with her through everything this far and she had every intention of doing the same. No matter what.

"Weiss! You have to listen to me!" The blonde paid Weiss' pleas no heed and advanced again. "It's true! I'm Phoenix!"

Wrong move.

"NO!" Weiss screamed as she threw her left hand forward on instinct.

White quickly engulfed Weiss' vision, the sound of a yelp getting cut off halfway ringing through her ears as she was blinded. Staggering backwards a few steps, the former heiress quickly hunched forward, her chest heaving. Extremely lightheaded, Weiss raised a hand to her head, the other braced against her knee to keep herself upright. When her vision finally returned to her, Weiss's gaze immediately went back to the other with her, only for it to widen in horror.

"W-what…"

Weiss knees buckled under her and she collapsed to the ground.

"What have I done...?"

A large light blue Dust glyph flickered a few times on the grassy ground underneath the blonde's feet before it died out completely. As for the woman herself, she was frozen mid step, her hand outstretched towards Weiss, terror etched on her face, all inside a jagged, upwards reaching block of crystalline ice.

Sitting on the ground, limp, tears streamed down Weiss' cheeks as a once repressed memory flashed into her shell shocked mind.

"_No..." _

_The creature of Grimm crept towards the dazed Phoenix, its claws twitching, vile slobber spilling out of its open, twisted mouth. _

"_No."_

_Towering over the man, the Beowolf lifted its paw just as Phoenix raised his head, tainted sharp claws coming down upon the rogue seconds later. _

"_NO!"_

_A light blue Dust glyph flashed into existence under the Grimm's feet, the corrupted creature having only a split second to look down before it was devoured whole by ice. The Grimm didn't even have a chance to howl before it was silenced forever, now nothing but a Grimm statue and a silent reminder of the terrifying power of ice..._

"I..."

Weiss remembered. She remembered it all now.

This was not the first time this had happened, ice made manifest in a sheer moment of panic. Though, this was definitely the first time Weiss had done this to a living, breathing person, a sight she would never forget in the years to come. Somehow managing to tear her gaze away from the human block of ice in front of her, Weiss looked down at the trembling hands in her lap.

"I didn't mean to..." Weiss whispered, the white haired girl shaking uncontrollably. "I didn't mean to..."

_Crack._

Frightened tears spilled out of her willing eyes, Weiss not even feeling the drops when they splashed down on her trembling hands. With her gaze on the shaking appendages in her lap, Weiss' mind constantly replayed the horrifying events which led to this current situation.

The blonde advanced on her. Weiss screamed and was blinded by white. Ice devoured the woman whole, leaving terrified lavender eyes wide, silently screaming at her.

Weiss wanted to throw up.

"I didn't mean to..."

_Crack. Crack. _

This was all of her fault. She was a monster. She had killed someone. Weiss Schnee, former heiress and successor to the Vale throne, and now runaway, had killed another person.

All because she panicked.

"I didn't mean to..."

_Crack. Crack. Crack._

So caught up in her thoughts, Weiss failed to notice the soft red glow emanating from the blonde's golden gauntlets, a glow which gave the ice block an eerie crimson sheen. Hairline fractures quickly tore through the surface of the ice block, small at first, before they rapidly expanded in size and length, spider webbing outwards from the centre.

"I didn't-"

_Thump._

Only when the first fist sized chunk of ice fell off of the main block, making a sound loud enough to interrupt her thoughts did Weiss look up. By then, the once pristine surface of the ice was fractured beyond repair, lavender coloured eyes flaming red underneath.

"W-wha-"

_CRASH!_

The ice block exploded outwards in a hail of half melted ice and white fog.

Weiss yelped, crossing her arms in front of her face defensively, ducking her head and squeezing her eyes shut. Not a single sliver of ice or drop of water hit her however, in spite of Weiss being directly in line with the explosion and at almost point blank range.

"D-D-D-Damn it, P-P-Princess!" came a chattering voice amongst the white wisps of mist.

Weiss' head snapped up, her tear filled eyes wide as the cloud of white dissipated, the fog being burned away. A figure shivered in the epicentre of it, hugging herself, small flames of yellow and orange licking at the air around her, the woman's golden hair seemingly made of pure fire. Soon the flames died out, leaving only the blonde woman from before.

"T-T-That w-was c-c-cold, even f-for you," the blonde said.

Weiss barely breathed, the white haired girl staring at the woman, somehow managing to get to her feet shakily. Her left hand hesitantly extended halfway towards the rogue, her arm shaking.

"P-Phoenix?" Weiss' croaked.

There was only one person Weiss knew of who had a flaming Aura capable of doing something like that.

Phoenix rolled her eyes, her shivering slowly lessening. "O-Oh," the rogue said, continuing to rub her shoulders. "S-So only a-a-after y-you t-t-turn me into a human _W-W-Weiss-icle_ d-do you b-believe what I'm s-saying."

The blonde shook her head, in an attempt to dislodge the droplets of water still weighing down her long mane.

"I k-know we d-didn't always s-s-see eye to eye w-with each other, b-but still-"

Weiss tackled the rogue off of her feet before the blonde could finish.

"Ompf!"

"I'm sorry!" Weiss sobbed, squeezing Phoenix in a death grip on the grassy ground. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Weiss shook as she cried into Phoenix's chest, the tension and fear originally gripping her quickly bleeding off of her body only to be replaced with guilt. She was so terrified at the thought of almost killing a person, that person turning out to be the only one she had ever called friend. Despite their differences and their backgrounds, as Weiss would later be loathed to admit, Phoenix had really grown on her over the time they travelled together. The blonde was no longer just some person she had come across in her life never to see again once this ordeal was over. Phoenix was now someone irreplaceable to Weiss, in more ways than one.

"I'm sorry!" Weiss repeated over and over again, the waterfall of tears ceaseless.

"Shhhhh, it's alright," a soft voice murmured in her ear as warm, strong arms wrapped around Weiss' shoulders. Weiss immediately curled into that warmth, continuing to sob into the blonde's shirt, unending apologies spilling off of her lips.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Shhh, I'm alright," Phoenix said, gently stroking Weiss' hair. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Weiss didn't let go of Phoenix for a very long time. And neither did Phoenix.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**__ In case there was any confusion, the starting scene was a memory from Yang's younger days. You'll understand why that happened in the next chapter. _

_Kid Ruby and Yang's nicknames (Ruru and Yaya) were taken from my drabble series __In a Land Far, Far Away__, drabble # 8._

_For those of you wondering, with Weiss' Aura unlocked now, she can now sense a whole bunch of things she couldn't before. Especially beings with Aura. _

_With regards to water rejuvenating Weiss, that's because of Weiss' Affinity for ice. Technically speaking, ice is just a different state of water, which is why it helps 'heal' Weiss faster of sorts._

_While this is more of a medieval time frame, let's say pictures, as in actual photographs, are possible through Dust magic._

_I'm so not happy with how this particular chapter ended, but whatever._

_Yang does not apologize for her awful puns. XD_


	10. Eyes Wide Open Part II

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And here is Part II! Writer's block is slowly easing up, but I still feel this chapter was a bit rough. Oh well. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless._

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ Guest – Thanks for the comment. :) I found those names adorable too and will continue to use them when I get the chance. ^^ Here's the next update for you. Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 10: Eyes Wide Open Part II<span> ~ ***

When Weiss awoke again, it was mid afternoon.

Lying on her side, she found herself staring at a crackling fire just ten feet away from her, fish on sticks sizzling around it nicely. Next to the fire and closer to Weiss, on what appeared to be a large leaf the size of her head, was an assortment of different coloured berries and fruits, some of which Weiss had never seen before.

Phoenix was nowhere to be seen.

Weiss started to rise with a nauseating sense of panic.

Was all of that just a dream? Had she really been abandoned? Had she really been left out here to die? Or had something happened to Phoenix while she was asleep and-

"Hey," came a murmur from above. "You're awake."

Startled by the sudden voice, Weiss froze halfway up, her head whipping around towards the source of the voice. She quickly found herself face to face with Phoenix.

"How are you feeling?" the rogue asked, giving her a tired, weary smile.

Or rather the blonde was looking down at her, Weiss looking up at the rogue from the woman's lap. Phoenix's lap was surprisingly comfy.

"You alright?"

At that question, Weiss bolted upwards nearly clipping Phoenix in the chin with her forehead. With her cheeks burning and heart thundering in her chest, Weiss quickly put a respectable (but not too far) distance between them.

"Whoa!" Phoenix exclaimed, flinching backwards at the sudden movement. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Weiss inhaled shakily, running a trembling hand through her dishevelled hair. She sat back on her heels in the grass, momentarily straightening out her rumpled dress.

"N-No, it wasn't your fault," Weiss said, her heart still thudding away in her chest. The rosiness in her cheeks had yet to fade. "I just... didn't see you there."

The rogue smiled sheepishly at Weiss, scratching the back of her head. That was a nervous tick of Phoenix's that Weiss had come to notice.

A shaky laugh.

"My bad," the blonde said. "I just thought you'd rest better lying on something other than rocks and itchy grass."

Weiss took one look at Phoenix's lap before turning her face away, the redness on her cheeks renewed. She coughed into her fist. "T-Thanks..." she murmured.

"Y-Yeah..." the rogue answered awkwardly. "No problem."

Silence enveloped the duo for a moment.

Weiss played with the hem of her skirt restlessly, the once white and pristine material now fraying at the ends, the garment a lacklustre dull grey colour.

"A-Are you hungry?" Phoenix asked, the rogue promptly crawling forward from her current spot towards the fire. The blonde turned the fish on sticks around the flames so they wouldn't burn.

"Famished actually," Weiss replied rather quickly. The white haired girl silently thanked her companion for the change in topic. "It feels like I haven't eaten for days."

As if to emphasize her point, Weiss' stomach growled noisily at that moment, making her blush.

Phoenix chuckled softly, her tired expression lightening as she plucked one of the fish skewers from the campfire. The blonde handed it to Weiss.

"That's because the last time you ate was almost five days ago," the rogue commented.

Weiss almost dropped her skewer. "W-What!?"

Phoenix flinched at that near shriek of an exclamation, looking at Weiss nervously. For a moment, all Weiss could do was look at the rogue in confusion because of that reaction. Then a memory flashed through her mind, making Weiss visibly recoil.

"_W-what__…"_

_A large light blue Dust glyph flickered a few times beneath the blonde's feet before it disappeared from the grassy ground. Blue eyes widened in horror as Weiss' gaze raked over the frigid form in front of her. Frozen mid step, her hand outstretched towards Weiss, terror etched on her face, was Phoenix, the rogue trapped inside a jagged, upwards reaching block of ice... _

"_What have I done?"_

That wasn't just a dream. That had really happened.

Oh gods.

Breathing suddenly became harder for Weiss.

"Hey."

Weiss flinched when a warm hand wrapped around her free one, holding her in place. She didn't even remember when she started to back away from the rogue, nor did she notice when the blonde had closed the distance between them to stop her. Her other hand trembled, Weiss' fish skewer shaking along with it.

"P-Phoenix-"

"Don't."

Fear filled blue eyes met unwavering lavender ones.

"You won't hurt me, Weiss," Phoenix said. The blonde gave Weiss a soft, repentant smile. "Sorry. I shouldn't have reacted that way."

The rogue grinned sheepishly. "I just don't like the cold so much, you know?"

Weiss inhaled shakily, the beginnings of tears in her eyes.

"But before-"

"Was an accident," Phoenix finished for the former heiress. "It happens the first few times until you get your Aura under control. That's normal."

"A-Aura?"

"Besides," Phoenix continued on, a smug smile stretching across her lips. "Did you honestly think an Aura baby like you could really top _hot stuff_ like me?"

Had Weiss been her regular self, she would have groaned and rolled her eyes at that awful pun. But as it was right now, the white haired girl was much too distracted with something else Phoenix had said to even notice it.

"W-Wait..." Weiss stuttered. "What are you talking about, Phoenix? I told you, I don't-"

"Weiss," Phoenix interrupted. The rogue looked off to the side for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to her shaking companion, giving Weiss' shoulder a soft squeeze.

"What do you remember? Before waking up today, I mean."

Weiss swallowed thickly. "F-Five days ago?"

Phoenix nodded.

Weiss stared at the blonde for a moment before she turned to the fish on a stick in her hand, currently resting in her lap. Most of her memories of the past few days were still a jumbled mess, but for the sake of her friend and companion, Weiss tried her best to recall everything that she could.

"I remember waking up in the morning," Weiss began, her gaze distant. "You had already caught breakfast and was in the middle of... cleaning them..."

Weiss shivered, appreciative to Phoenix for rubbing her shoulder soothingly. Even after all this time, even after having seen it done more than a dozen times, Weiss still was a bit squeamish when it came to watching Phoenix disembowel their food. Okay, that was a lie. She was more than _just a bit_ squeamish, but still. Something about the way the fish's innards just _spilled_ out, on top of their eyes just bulging in their eye sockets, that was... it was just...

Weiss shuddered.

"You know," Phoenix said, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. "There is one way I know of which can help you get over your... nervousness..."

Weiss looked up, thankful for the interruption in her vomit inducing thoughts. Doing what she could to school her expression, the white haired girl did her best to ignore the strong fluttering feeling in her stomach. That was happening more frequently as of late, especially when in close proximity to a certain rogue, but Weiss simply chalked it up to her ever increasing reliance on the rogue. She never relied on someone this much after all, so who was to say that wasn't a normal reaction?

"R-Really?" Weiss asked, her voice cracking slightly.

"Uh huh," Phoenix said, slowly leaning closer towards Weiss. The rogue's thumb idly stroked the skin on the back of Weiss' wrist.

Weiss' heart beat that much faster, a steady heat creeping up her neck and cheeks.

"I'll just let you..." Phoenix said softly, her face stopping just inches away from Weiss'.

"You'll just let me... ?" Weiss echoed in a whisper, the former princess swearing she was that close to fainting right now.

Lavender coloured eyes blinked slowly, blue eyes nearly mimicking them as Weiss found herself almost forgetting to breathe, the former heiress waiting for the rogue's next words with bated breath.

"I'll…" the blonde began.

Weiss found herself frozen, both from anticipation and nervousness.

"… just let you gut the fish next time," Phoenix said cheerily, the rogue pulling away. Phoenix leaned back on her arms, smiling at Weiss.

It took all of five seconds for Weiss' brain to process what Phoenix said. When the rogue's words finally registered, blue eyes went wide, Weiss paling considerably. Then the smile on the blonde's face turned into a cheeky smirk and Weiss almost growled.

"That's not funny!" Weiss exclaimed, smacking Phoenix in the shoulder. She crossed her arms over her chest, turning her gaze away when the blonde burst out laughing. Weiss pouted.

"But-" Phoenix choked on laughter. "But I'm being serious!" the rogue said, slapping her knee a few times as she hollered. "The only way to get over that is to do it over and over again until it doesn't bother you anymore!"

Weiss harrumphed, but still didn't look at the blonde.

The rogue guffawed some more before leaning closer to Weiss.

"Oh c'mon, Weissy," Phoenix crooned. "It's not all that bad. I do it all the time."

Weiss' head snapped back to the still snickering rogue, her eyebrows bordering her hairline as she looked at the blonde in disbelief. "What did you just call me?"

"What? You mean _Weissy_?" Phoenix said, at which Weiss scowled at her. "I think it suits you."

"My name is Weiss, I'll have you know," the white haired girl said, not the least bit impressed with the butchering of her name. "You'd best remember that, _Brute_."

"_Rawr_," Phoenix said in response, another infuriating (to Weiss) grin on her face. "The Ice Princess has spunk."

"Phoenix!"

"What? It's true."

Weiss sighed heavily, dropping her head. Closing her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger.

"Can we _please_ get back to the matter at hand?"

"Aww, but why?" the rogue whined. "Teasing you is so much more fun!"

Weiss glared at Phoenix. Hard.

"Fine, fine," the blonde relented, raising her hands up in defeat. "I won't make you gut the fish."

Weiss blinked a few times before her glare softened into something less hostile.

"Thank you," the former princess murmured. While Weiss was a bit surprised that that was all it took to get the rogue off her case, the white haired girl was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Then again, given the person in question was Phoenix, that just seemed a bit too... easy...

"I do like to eat after all," the rogue said with the shrug of her shoulders.

Blast it! Weiss knew there was more to it!

Before the former Schnee successor could retort, Phoenix plucked the cold fish on a stick from Weiss' hand and finished it with surprising gusto. Four bites later, and the fish was gone.

"Being serious though," the rogue said, chucking the empty skewer into the fire before reaching for another fish on a stick. "If you were to gut the fish, I'd die of starvation."

"Hey!" Weiss shouted, glowering at the blonde indignantly. "That is not true!"

"Really?" the rogue questioned, giving the white haired girl a look.

Weiss's response to that was to snatch the fish skewer out of Phoenix's hands and take a mighty chomp out of it before the rogue could.

Golden eyebrows went up before Phoenix laughed. "As I said before. _Spunk_."

Lavender orbs were alight with mischief.

"_Phoenix."_

"I'm stopping, I'm stopping," the blonde chortled, her grin widening even more. "I mean it this time."

Weiss took another menacing bite out of _her_ fish skewer, glaring daggers at the rogue, just to show how much she believed her companion. Phoenix wasn't phased in the least.

"So you were saying?" the blonde said, a smile still on her face. Rather than reaching for fish this time, Phoenix opted for the berries on the large leaf next to the fire.

"After breakfast, what happened?"

Weiss stared at the rogue for a few more seconds just to make sure. Once she was satisfied that the blonde wouldn't tease her any further, at least for now, Weiss' gaze returned to her fish on a stick, the white haired girl eating the rest of it at a slower, much more proper pace.

"We packed up after ourselves like we usually did," Weiss said, her eyes going distant again. "And then we went on our way, trying to find a way out of this forest."

Weiss nibbled on a chunk of fish but said nothing more. The taste of the fresh catch never ceased to amaze the former heiress, despite the lack of seasonings. It was always so full of flavor, and not bland and needing to be covered up by spices like much of the food prepared in the White Castle.

"And after that?" Phoenix prodded, giving Weiss a casual glance. Tossing a red berry into the air, she tilted her head back just far enough for the fruit to fall into her open mouth.

Weiss frowned as she stared at the now empty skewer in her hands, the white haired girl fervently searching her memory. "I..."

Blurred faces. The rumbling of earth. A flash of red.

"... I don't know," Weiss finished quietly. The grip on her fish skewer tightened.

"I just..."

Pain. So much pain. But relief too.

"All I have are fragments." The frown on Weiss' brow deepened. "A flash of colour here. A whiff of something there. Bits and pieces that don't make any sense."

It was quiet for a few seconds before Phoenix spoke up again.

"It's probably better you don't remember," the blonde said offhandedly, glancing everywhere and anywhere but at her white haired companion.

"I beg your pardon?" Weiss turned towards Phoenix in surprise, an eyebrow raised. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

Unlike before, there was no grin or smile present on Phoenix's face. There was no laughter or chuckles. There was no teasing smirk or mischief filled eyes. Phoenix was pursing her lips together tightly right now, refusing to meet Weiss' gaze.

"As I said," the rogue commented, her tone less lively. "I think it's probably better you don't remember what happened."

Phoenix' left hand balled in a fist in her lap. The rogue's right hand, the one holding the small berries she was snacking on, trembled ever so noticeably, threatening to crush them if she wasn't careful. And still, Phoenix would not look at Weiss.

A smaller hand covered the blonde's fist, lavender coloured eyes darting over to Weiss in surprise.

"Phoenix," Weiss said, giving the rogue's hand a soft squeeze. "What is it? What aren't you telling me?"

Weiss could see the conflict in the blonde's eyes. She could see the fear. She could see the pain. She could see the hurt. Phoenix's fist shook in her grasp, the rogue no doubt battling inner demons only the blonde could vanquish. After a few seconds of tense silence, Phoenix looked away from Weiss.

"It was like you said," Phoenix began, her voice tight and breathless. "We packed up after breakfast and headed off. Just like any other day so far. Then..." A shuddering breath. "Then we came across... others..."

Blue eyes were drawn to the clenching of the rogue's jaw, the knuckles of the blonde's already balled up fist going white.

"They attacked us?" Weiss asked, her gaze once again running the length of Phoenix's battered body. If they had been attacked, that would explain quite a bit. Phoenix's less than stellar appearance. Weiss' new scar.

"Hunted more like," Phoenix spat angrily, Weiss feeling the rogue's fist shake even more.

A knot formed in the pit of Weiss' stomach.

"W-What do you mean... hunted?" the former heiress asked, a tremble in her voice.

Phoenix gritted her teeth. "They seemed to know far more than they should," the rogue replied gruffly, the blonde turning to meet Weiss' gaze finally. "About you." A pause. "And me."

The knot in Weiss' stomach tightened.

"Do..." A swallow. "Do you know who told them about us?"

Weiss was reeling. Thinking back on the incident with the Atlas mercenaries, all this time she had thought that it was a fluke, simply a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. While the bounty on her head (put up by her father no less) had surprised her when she learned about it, it wasn't unusual for the members of the royal family to be targeted at times and held for ransom. That was just something which came as part of that life. But to hear now that they were, that she was, being hunted, that made Weiss very uncomfortable. And very nervous. It meant that people knew she was here. And if other people knew she was out here, then that meant her father knew she was here too.

Had the King sent those people who attacked them earlier to come collect her? Did he know about Phoenix? Was he going to take Phoenix away from her-

The shake of Phoenix's head drew Weiss out of her thoughts.

"Didn't really have time to find out how they knew," Phoenix said, the blonde's face twisted in anger. "Was too busy trying not to die and-"

A breath hitched in the rogue's throat, Phoenix immediately turning her head away from Weiss. The white haired girl could have sworn she saw the glint of tears in the blonde's eyes, but she wasn't sure. The rogue had turned her face away too fast.

"Phoenix?"

Phoenix was silent, her face still looking in the opposite direction of Weiss.

"Phoenix?" Weiss tried again, her voice softer this time. She didn't like this silence. Not one bit.

"Say something. Please?"

Still Weiss received no answer. And now the rogue started to tremble, which concerned the white haired girl greatly.

With her anxiety steadily rising, Weiss leaned closer to the rogue to-

"Don't," came a raspy, cracked voice.

Weiss stopped moving, less than three inches separating Phoenix and her now. "Phoenix-"

"I'm s-sorry, Weiss," the rogue said, turning back to face her.

Weiss' eyes widened to see tears streaming down the blonde's face. "Phoenix, what-"

"This was my fault."

Weiss inhaled sharply as the blonde reached up and cupped her left cheek. Her eyes closed as a calloused thumb ran the length of her scar, Weiss feeling the digit shake the entire time.

"You almost died!" Phoenix choked out, her voice meek and so, so quiet. "Because I got c-careless. B-Because I got cocky. You saved me, but almost died because of it. If I didn't... If I didn't free your Aura then..."

Feeling the hand drop from her face, Weiss' eyes opened again, slowly, and unfocused at first. She exhaled noisily, a jumble of new emotions running through her system as she watched the rogue pull away from her. Phoenix hugged herself, her face turned away in shame. Momentarily pushing those confusing feelings aside, ones which had been steadily getting stronger as more time passed, Weiss quickly grabbed Phoenix's arm before the rogue got too far.

"Phoenix," Weiss said firmly.

All this time, Phoenix had been strong for her.

"Weiss, I-"

It was now time Weiss returned the favour.

"Ah-pup-pup-pup!" the former Schnee interrupted, waving off the rogue's protest. "I don't want to hear it."

Phoenix looked at Weiss in shock and confusion. "Weiss-"

"You said I almost died," Weiss stated. "But I'm still here. Am I not?"

"But-"

"Did you think I'd be angry with you? Because of this?" Weiss pointed to her left eye.

Lavender coloured eyes looked away, heavy with guilt. "Weiss, I-"

"Was I forced?"

"Huh?"

Weiss made sure to hold Phoenix's gaze when the rogue looked at her again. "Was I forced to save your life? Did someone threaten me, making me save you? Or did you demand it of me to save you?"

"Well, no," Phoenix replied timidly.

Again the rogue looked away after speaking, unable to hold Weiss' gaze for more than a few seconds. It was driving Weiss crazy. This was not the Phoenix Weiss knew. But she was going to fix that very soon.

"You dolt," Weiss chided, yanking the blonde towards her, pulling the rogue forward by the arm.

Caught off guard by that action, Phoenix couldn't stop herself from crashing into Weiss' smaller frame. Nor could the rogue stop the smaller set of arms from wrapping around her shoulders and neck, effectively trapping her against the white haired girl. Phoenix was as stiff as a board in Weiss' grasp.

"W-Weiss?"

"You saved my life, Phoenix," Weiss murmured softly, holding the rogue a bit closer to her.

If the blonde had been paying attention, she would have felt just how fast Weiss' heart was beating right now. Weiss was not one for big acts of physical attention. She never had that growing up as a child. So as it was, something like this was foreign to the white haired girl. But that didn't stop it from feeling right at this current moment.

"It wasn't ideal," Weiss continued. "Things didn't go exactly how you planned. But I'm still here. Because of you. How could I be angry at you about that?"

Ever so slowly, Phoenix relaxed. Soon two strong, trembling but strong arms wrapped around Weiss' back, holding onto her tightly. The rogue pressed her face into Weiss' shoulder, Phoenix shaking.

"I know I never said this before," Weiss said, a soft smile on her face. Pale fingers ran through long locks of golden hair. "But thank you, Phoenix. For saving my life. So many times now."

A shuddering breath escaped the quivering rogue, her hold on Weiss going tighter.

"And…" Weiss said, her voice wavering for a moment. "… for not abandoning me, even when I told you to."

"W-Weiss-" came a sob.

"You saved my life, Phoenix." Weiss closed her eyes and smiled. "Thank you."

Muffled sobs reached Weiss' ears as Phoenix clutched at the back of her coat tighter. Leaning her head against the rogue's, Weiss rubbed a hand up and down the woman's back, the blonde shaking even more now.

"It seems our roles from earlier have reversed, haven't they?" Weiss said sadly.

Weiss' reply for the next little while would only be more sobs.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **__Well, that was a thing. Lol. _

_Expect a Part III of sorts. I didn't plan for this to be so long, but it happened. _

_*sighs*_


	11. Intertwined

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And another chapter is up! We've been hearing a lot from Weiss lately, so here's Yang! __ Due to the content of this chapter, expect a bit of OoCness from our favorite characters._

_On another note, I still had some writer's block with this chapter. Hopefully nothing seems too off putting because of it. _

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ Guest – Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you liked it. :)_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 11: Intertwined<span> ~ ***

Yang was alive.

"Phoenix?"

For the first time in years, Yang felt truly alive.

"Hmm?" Yang hummed, turning to look at Weiss. "What's up?"

Yang couldn't remember the last time she felt this way. That she was actually living in the world and not just surviving it. Had she ever achieved this sense of peace before? She couldn't remember. For so long, it had just been her, alone, with all of the mistakes she had ever made since… well… then.

Weiss opened her mouth to speak but looked away at the last minute, as if suddenly losing her nerve.

But Yang wasn't alone anymore, was she? There was someone else here now too, someone who was undoubtedly and directly responsible for this new view on life.

"Weiss?" Yang queried after a few seconds, Weiss uneasily silent. "What is it?"

Weiss pursed her lips tightly, taking a deep breath before her head turned back in Yang's direction.

"I'm sorry, Phoenix," Weiss said, her gaze directed at her feet. The ex-princess fidgeted with the hem of her jacket's sleeves, the white haired girl dragging her feet next to Yang.

Yang stopped walking. "Huh?" she said, a golden eyebrow raised in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Weiss stopped three steps past Yang but didn't look at her. The former heiress swallowed, her left hand clutching at the right sleeve of Weiss' jacket above the wrist.

"For-"

A shaky breath.

"For everything that has happened," Weiss said. Weiss reluctantly glanced in Yang's direction.

Yang frowned when she took in Weiss' smaller stature. It was so much smaller than her usual stance, the former princess seemingly shrinking in on herself due to her nervousness. Weiss' form trembled, as if expecting Yang to physically lash out at her because she had said something she wasn't supposed to. It felt so wrong. Yet for the life of her, Yang didn't know what she had done to make Weiss behave this way.

"I'm sorry," Weiss repeated, making Yang frown even more. "I'm sorry that… that that had to happen to you," the Schnee explained, Weiss giving Yang's battered body a once over before looking away again.

Ah. So that's what this was all about.

"Weiss," Yang began, looking at her companion sympathetically. "Look, you-"

A new day was upon them. Exhausted, both mentally and physically from the previous day's events, Weiss and Yang agreed to take a small break from traveling, staying put to recover for the rest of the day. While there was still so much to be said, from the both of them to each other, they were content in letting things happen as they would. Most of the big things between them had been worked out yesterday, as far as Yang was concerned, so why force the rest out and cause unnecessary stress?

"This is all my fault," Weiss said, gripping at her arm harder, the knuckles on her hand going white.

Weiss it seemed, didn't think the same way that Yang did and had something she needed to get off of her chest.

"All of this wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for me."

Yang's jaw clenched at the sight of tears in Weiss' eyes. Despite knowing the white haired girl for only a few weeks, Yang hated seeing Weiss so upset. Especially over something that the other girl had no control over. It wasn't as if Weiss had been the one to send those bounty hunters after them. It wasn't as if Weiss had been the one to physically give Yang these bruises and welts. Though, thinking about it from the ex-princess' point of view, Yang probably would have felt the same way, if not worse than Weiss was right now. Truth be told, it had been a long while since Yang had taken a beating like that.

"Weiss-" Yang started, hoping to ease Weiss' burden of guilt. Weiss wouldn't let her finish however, continuing on as if Yang hadn't said anything in the first place.

"I p-promise you, Phoenix," Weiss said, her voice shaking. She still refused to look at Yang, Weiss biting her bottom lip. "When we finally make it out of here-"

Yang was stubborn though and tried to interject again. "Weiss, really, you don't have to-"

"-I'll find you the best sorcerer around and have them turn you back into a man."

"Weiss-"

Yang's thoughts and tongue screeched to a halt.

Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. _WHAT?_

"It's my fault this happened to you," Weiss carried on, oblivious to Yang's bafflement. Weiss gritted her teeth, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. "I c-can't-"

A sob escaped the former heiress' throat, one which quickly snapped Yang out of her shock.

"I c-can't even imagine w-w-what you're going through r-right now-"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa now!" Yang exclaimed, grabbing her companion by the shoulders. That action had Weiss finally looking up to meet her gaze.

"Slow down there, girly," Yang said, clearly confounded and well, confused. "What's this about me being stuck as a woman?"

Blue eyes looked at Yang filled with shame.

"It was b-because of me this h-happened to you. If I had known-"

"Weiss. Weiss!" Yang said, giving the smaller girl a bit of a shake. "It's okay. _Really_."

"But-"

"Weiss, you've got it all wrong!"

Yang didn't know if she wanted to laugh, cry or face palm. Maybe all three at the same time if she could manage it. Of all the things that could have been bothering the former heiress, never once did Yang think it would be this.

Yang gave Weiss a soft smile, hoping it would be enough to soothe her silly companion.

"Nothing is wrong with me, Weiss," Yang said, her tone warm and comforting. She smiled. "I've always been a woman. From the very day I was born."

"B-But..." Weiss shook her head, distraught. "T-That's not possible…" she said, covering her face with her hands.

"Why not?" Yang asked, truly curious about what was going through the white haired girl's mind.

Weiss raised her head, her hands pulling back from her face just enough for Yang to see her eyes.

"Y-Your voice-" Weiss started, her voice sounding extremely frail.

"A Shadow Kat potion," Yang calmly explained. "It lowered my voice to sound like a man's."

Blue eyes widened slightly.

"But your chest-"

"The cloth binding it ripped in the fight with the bounty hunters."

Weiss' gaze darted down to Yang's chest for a moment before zipping up again to her face.

"And your..."

"My...?" Yang looked at Weiss expectantly.

Weiss pursed her lips and sniffled. "Never mind," she said, wiping away her tears with her sleeve.

Yang rubbed Weiss' shoulders, her smile widening as Weiss gradually loosened up.

Taking a moment to compose herself, Weiss sniffled one last time before she ran a hand through her dishevelled hair. Locking gazes with Yang again, Weiss' shoulders went erect, the former heiress regaining the poise and demeanour she usually carried.

"So you're telling me…" Weiss began, the former royalty quick to clear her throat before crossing her arms over her chest. "… that all this time, you were really a woman who has been posing as a man?"

Yang's smile was brilliant. "Bingo," she piped, happy that Weiss and her had finally come to an understanding.

"Oh."

Weiss stared.

Silence.

_SLAP!_

Yang's head whipped to the left, a hand sized red mark quickly blossoming across her right cheek. Out of sight, Weiss hissed in pain, but that was nothing compared to how the rogue's cheek felt right now.

"Wha..." Wide lavender eyes turned back to Weiss in shock. "What the hell was that for!?" Yang roared, Yang now clutching her stinging cheek.

"That was for deceiving me all this time you Conniver!" Weiss exclaimed, her lips pursed together tightly. She cradled her reddening palm in her other hand.

"And because of that you're allowed to hit me?!" Yang shot back, still disbelieving of what had just happened.

Weiss rounded on Yang with a snarl. "Do you know how foolish I felt thinking you'd been turned into a woman all this time?" the white haired Schnee snapped. "Do you know how scary that idea was, that there were people out there who had that kind of ability!?"

"And how was that my fault!?" Yang exclaimed, with just as much volume to her voice. "You were the one who came up with that crazy idea in the first place! Not me!"

"How could I not?!" Weiss argued. "All this time I've known you as a man! And then after a life and death battle with some bounty hunters, you're suddenly a woman? What am I supposed to think?!"

"Uhh... I don't know," Yang said flatly. "That maybe it was all an act?" The urge to roll her eyes was strong.

But Yang didn't.

Weiss glared at her.

Yang glared back.

"When you started apologizing, I thought you were feeling guilty about me getting all beat up."

Weiss opened her mouth to retort, only to frown and look away. "There is that," she said in a heavy tone, guilt laced into her reluctant words.

Yang immediately felt bad for pointing that out. Before she could apologize however, Weiss was yelling at her again.

"But an act? Seriously!?" Weiss' gaze whipped back to meet Yang's own. "How was I to fathom this was all an act?! How do I know you're not really a woman who loves pretending to be a man!?"

"Because that is not true!" Yang shouted, Yang taking one angry step closer to her opponent. Yang wasn't sure, but her Aura may have been acting up too in response to her current emotions.

"You may not realize this _Princess_, but I have a very good reason for hiding all of this!" Yang sneered, waving her hand up and down in front of her body.

"Oh yeah?" Weiss mocked. The white haired girl crossed her arms over her chest again and leaned forward towards Yang, narrowing the space between them.

"Why is that?"

"Because of these!" Yang exclaimed. Without thinking, Yang cupped the underside of her breasts and pulled them up an inch. A second later, she released them, causing them to jiggle.

Weiss immediately went red from the neck up.

"Do you know how hard it is to be taken seriously with these?!" Yang growled. She looked to the side scowling, Yang remembering all of the incidents before now, before she chose to hide her true gender.

"It's a little hard to do much of anything when most people only stare at my boobs!"

"Of course people are going to stare at you! You're gorgeous!" Weiss screeched.

And for the second time of the day, Yang found her thoughts stopping dead.

Weiss' eyes opened wide like saucers when she realized what she said.

"I... What I meant to say was..."

Yang gawked at Weiss, her mouth opening and closing a few times, no sound coming out. It would take all of five seconds for Yang to find her voice again, yet even then, she wasn't sure if she was making any sense or talking gibberish.

"Did you..." A swallow. "Did you just call me gorgeous?"

Weiss quickly turned her back on Yang, hugging herself.

"Y-You're mistaken, Oaf," the white haired girl said, though there was no anger or snap to her voice like normal. "What I said was… was… n-nothing! Nothing at all!"

Yang continued to stare at Weiss' back, at the giant snowflake emblem stitched into the girl's jacket, her mind a flurry of thoughts.

This was not the first time someone complimented Yang's looks. Pretty. Beautiful. Gorgeous. She had heard them all before, most from lecherous men of various ages, all of whom tried to bed Yang at some point or another. That's why she finally disguised herself as a man. The others before only looked at Yang like a piece of meat to be consumed, or like a prize to be acquired and flaunted. She was not a person to them, far-a-less herself. She was just a trophy. A thing. And it disgusted her.

"I… uhh…"

But, not this time.

Again Yang's mouth opened and closed, the rogue having much difficulty forming words.

This time was different.

"Erm..."

Was it because Weiss was a woman? Was it because Yang could tell Weiss' words were genuine? Or was it because Yang knew Weiss didn't look at her like the others did, that Weiss looked at Yang for Yang and not another conquest in bed? Whatever it was, Yang found herself stuttering and blushing like the farmer's girl asked on a date by a prince.

_G-Get a hold of yourself, Yang!_ she silently chided herself. _It's nothing you haven't heard before!_

Lavender coloured eyes drifted upwards to Weiss' face, only to spy pearl white hair, the former heiress' back still facing her. The soft morning light glinted off of the small, silver tiara sitting at the base of Weiss' off centre and messy ponytail, drawing Yang's eyes to it momentarily.

_But… But… _

But unlike previous times, the compliment giver this time was none other than Princess Weiss Schnee. Well, the former _princess_ that is.

"_Of course__ people are going to stare!" Weiss exclaimed. "You're gorgeous!"_

Yang was so screwed.

"What? No snarky remark? No awful pun?"

Yang's gaze immediately shifted from her companion's accessory to meet an icy blue gaze. While she hadn't turn around, not yet at least, Weiss was now looking over her shoulder at Yang, albeit very shyly. It was very cute if Yang could say so herself. The blush on Weiss' cheeks was just adorable.

Yang struggled for words when she realized Weiss was still waiting for a response.

"W-Well… I uhh-"

Weiss turned around to face Yang fully, a frown marring her brow. She put a hand on her hip.

"Does it really bother you that much? That I know you're a woman and not a man?"

Yang quickly opened her mouth to disagree, only to falter at the last moment. She looked away from Weiss, pursing her lips tightly.

"I…"

Yang wasn't going to lie. That had been one of the many questions on her mind since her true identity came to light yesterday. Yang had thought Weiss' original lack of reaction before was due to the discovery of Weiss' Aura, and the near fatal incident which followed shortly after it. But now that that was over, and things had time to settle, Yang couldn't but feel vulnerable and uncertain when it came to her white haired companion.

"It-"

Gods! Why was her throat was so dry!?

Yang swallowed thickly before trying her words again.

"It... doesn't bother you that I'm a woman?" Yang asked quietly, almost pitifully so.

Weiss' gaze was unrelenting.

Fists balled at her sides, Yang shook slightly under the scrutiny. She didn't know why, but for some reason, Weiss' answer meant a great deal to her.

Seconds passed, silence enveloping the pair completely. Doing her damnedest not to fidget under Weiss' piercing look, Yang tried focusing on something else aside from the icy blues boring into her soul.

Like Weiss' porcelain skin.

Like the smell of grass with a hint of clover.

Like the frantic beating of her heart, the organ feeling as if it had jumped up into her throat and gotten stuck there.

Just when the silence became too much, Weiss snorted very unlady-like, making Yang blink rapidly in surprise.

"Should it?" the ex-heiress questioned.

Yang was speechless. _Seriously? The Grimm freaks her out, but not me being a woman?_

If Weiss had suddenly admitted that she was a man all this time, Yang was almost certain she'd have a more… reactionary response than _this_.

"W-Well, no…" Yang mumbled, fumbling for words. Fists clenched and then unclenched, only to clench at her sides again, Yang not quite sure what to do in a situation like this.

"I mean, I hope it doesn't, but-"

Weiss crossed her arms over her chest, a surprisingly intimidating gesture Yang thought, despite Weiss being the smaller one between them. Yang swallowed nervously.

"Are you saying that you pretending to be a man makes you a completely different person than when you're actually a woman?" Weiss questioned.

"Yes!" was Yang's immediate reaction.

Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"I mean no!" Yang quickly amended.

Weiss' other eyebrow went up.

"What I mean to say is-"

The white haired girl blinked once.

Yang sighed, her shoulders slumping forward as she rubbed her face. "I don't know," she said. "I don't think so... I mean, I'm the same person I was from the start..."

Yang raised an open palm up to her face and gazed at it. "At least I think I am."

At the edge of Yang's vision, Weiss shifted a step closer to her.

"So what is the problem then?" Weiss asked.

Yang blinked at Weiss a couple times before she redirected her gaze back to her hand. A small smile stretched across her lips as she did so, her shoulders straightening a bit.

"I guess…" Yang began. "... there isn't one."

"Good," Weiss said, a small on her lips.

Relief.

That's what Yang felt right now. Never before had she felt so relieved. It was like the heavy weight that had been pressing down on her shoulders since forever had finally lifted, leaving Yang to float and flutter.

It was amazing.

Reaching towards Yang, Weiss intertwined her fingers with the fingers of Yang's raised hand, a faint pink tinting her cheeks.

"N-Now that that's settled," Weiss said, a slight stutter in her voice. "I do believe we have a haunted forest to escape from."

Yang watched awestruck as their connected hands slowly lowered to their sides. Before Weiss could even take a step forward, Yang gently tugged backwards on their joined limbs, making the former heiress freeze next to her. Weiss' gaze darted back and forth between their held hands and Yang's face.

Yang could almost hear her companion's thoughts as the seconds ticked on. Standing next to her, her hand trembling in Yang's own, Weiss was wondering if she had somehow overstepped the fragile boundary between them and ruined their... whatever it is they had together. That was absolutely ludicrous of course, Yang soon lifting her head to meet Weiss' wavering gaze with a half smirk, half smile, splitting the bottom part of her face.

"W-What?" Weiss asked stiffly, the new Aura user swallowing anxiously.

Weiss may have been nervous about it all, but Yang was not.

With a glint of mischief in her eyes, Yang's grin widened substantially. "Looks like the _Phoenix_ has melted the _Ice Princess_," she said.

This was right. This _felt_ right.

Yang watched with great amusement as Weiss' nervous expression quickly morphed into one of confusion, then to one of horror, and finally, to one of defeated acceptance. Yang guffawed as Weiss hung her head groaning, Yang completely beside herself with glee for squeezing that pun in.

"Really Yaya, really?" Weiss sighed in exasperation, face palming with her free hand. "Can you not go one day without-"

Delight and amusement vanished instantly leaving only despair.

All because of a word.

All because of a name.

Without warning, Yang yanked her hand out of Weiss' grip, Yang quickly spinning the white haired girl around by the shoulders. Weiss squeaked in surprise at that action, only Yang's near iron grip on her shoulders saving her from tumbling to the ground on her behind. Clearly startled by this sudden turn, literally, Weiss opened her mouth to say something, only to go as still as a statue when wide blues met scared violets.

"W-Weiss," Yang nearly whimpered, her voice shaking. Yang's hands shook as they gripped at Weiss' shoulders. "W-Where did you hear t-that name from?"

"N-Name?" Weiss echoed, flustered and confused.

"Ya-" Yang swallowed dryly, her throat constricting painfully. "Yaya," she croaked, her fingers unconsciously digging firmer into Weiss' shoulders. Weiss flinched.

"Where did you hear that name?!"

Weiss' jaw clenched, her body trembling as a cool mist started to leak off of her form. The white fog went unnoticed by both women.

"I-"

"THE NAME!" Yang screamed again, her chest tight, Yang barely able to breathe.

"I heard it in my dreams!" Weiss shouted back. The forest floor beneath their feet within a ten foot radius iced over in a second. Weiss panted heavily, shivering.

"W-What?"

Yang stared at Weiss in shock, her hands slipping away from the white haired girl's shoulders. She stumbled backwards a few steps, dazed. Almost slipping on the newly formed ice under their feet, Yang somehow managed to make her way over to a nearby tree, turning her back on Weiss.

"Before I woke up here," Weiss said, hugging herself as she turned her gaze away from Yang. "I was dreaming I was somewhere else. But..."

A breath.

"But somehow I knew it wasn't a dream. It was almost like it was a memory. But it wasn't mine."

Breathing heavily, Yang clung to the tree next to her as if her very life depended on it.

"What..." Yang shuddered. "What… happened in your dream?" she asked in a breathless whisper.

There was some shuffling behind Yang before Weiss replied.

"I-It was night time," the white haired girl said. "I awoke to someone calling my n-name."

Yang closed her eyes, her jaw clenching, her forehead pressing against the rough tree bark.

"Ruru was standing next to my bed. She had had a bad dream," Weiss continued, her voice shaking but the stutters gone. "I let her sleep next to me after that."

Yang's eyes burned, the rogue barely registering the sound of scratching as her nails left vertical lines in the tree she held onto.

"But it…" Weiss paused a moment. "It wasn't I who Ruru woke up. That person… was you… wasn't it?"

A shuddering breath escaped Yang's throat, Yang biting her lip to stifle another one from coming out right after it.

"Your name is not really Phoenix, is it?" Weiss asked quietly.

The forest grew silent around the pair, the only things heard being Weiss' restless shifting and Yang's near choking breaths. It was as if nature itself was holding its breath, also waiting on Yang's answer. Silent seconds turned into a minute. Then another. And another. Just when it seemed Weiss would call her on her muteness, Yang spoke up.

"No," came the white haired girl's answer. "My name is not Phoenix."

Standing up straighter for the first time since this topic came up, Yang released her support tree, balling her fists at her side. Turning her head slightly to the left, but not enough for Weiss to see her face, Yang's jaw clenched as she blinked back the tears which threatened to fall.

"My true name is Yang Xiao Long," Yang said, her voice devoid yet sounding strangled from pain. "And that little girl you saw in your dream, Ruru-"

A smothered, shaking breath.

"Ruby," Yang amended. "Was my sister."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**__ And there you have it, part of it at least. The importance of the memory chapters ago involving young Ruby and Yang, that is. More will be revealed in the next chapter, including what happened in the past to lead Yang to where she is now. Stay tuned!_

_I know, I'm horrible for leaving you hanging now. :P_

_I've seen this come up in some of the new stories on this site, so I'll address it now. This story and premise was created long before Volume 2 of RWBY. As such, there will be no mention or cameo of any new characters revealed in Volume 2._


	12. The Memory That Was Not Hers

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is here! What a doozy this one is. _

_**WARNING!**__ This is one angsty chapter. For anyone not comfortable reading angst, skip over the flashbacks written in italics. That should lessen the effect._

_Again, writer's block was breathing down my neck on this chapter, so I apologize in advance for its less than refined feel._

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ Blood Moon – Thanks for the review. :) I like to tease you readers, what can I say? :P Trust me when I say this, there is still a lot worse to come. You'll see what I mean with this chapter and others. Prepare yourself! XD_

_ Guest – Thanks for the comment. :) I really can't say what's happened to Ruby aside from you'll find out soon. XD But I totally agree with you, Weiss! Do something silly! :P Stay tuned!_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 12: The Memory That Was Not Hers<span> ~ ***

She felt it in her stomach.

Fear.

Panic.

Terror.

The smoke surrounding them was choking, the air filled with ash and the fiery remains of leaves and bark. It was as if all oxygen had been replaced by a powdery, burnt sludge, one which razed her throat instead of refreshing it, leaving it drier than the sands of Haven's dessert. She was suffocating, slowly, from the smoke. Of course, it didn't help that her scorched throat was still healing from her run in before, the flesh of her neck still a raw red colour in the shape of a hand.

A cough.

But that was nothing compared to the drowning torment she felt every time she turned her head to look left.

"Just a little..." A wheeze. "A little bit further, Yang…" Weiss grunted, struggling to keep them both upright. "Just a little bit further…"

Huffing.

"…and we'll be out of this place…"

Weiss coughed again, the white haired girl sputtering for air when she accidentally inhaled a bit of ash.

They had made good progress escaping the escalating inferno just behind them. But while they evaded the scorching flames and the heat which came with it, the wind carried the smoke and ash farther and faster than Weiss could have ever thought possible in such a short period of time.

Pushing those worrying thoughts aside, Weiss tried her damnedest to focus on something, _anything_, except for the blonde hanging off of her shoulder, almost completely limp. That was a little hard to do however, especially as Yang stumbled over an above ground root, nearly sending the two of them sprawling to the ground face first. Weiss somehow managed to keep them on their feet though, a grunt escaping her lips as she did so. Tightening the grip on the arm around her shoulders, her hold on Yang's waist also going tighter, Weiss trudging ahead with all of her strength, half dragging, half yanking her companion with her.

"Weeeiiiissssss…" Yang slurred.

Weiss bit her lip, nearly drawing blood.

"Lets- Ngh!" A pained warble. "Lets meh go-"

"No!" Weiss rasped, tearful blues glaring at the blonde. "For the last time already! I am not going anywhere without you!"

Already glazed lavenders struggled to remain open, a tired smile twitching on Yang's lips.

Weiss gazed ahead again. "Don't," she said, her voice cracking. "I know what you're going to say, and you're not." A heavy breath. "You are _NOT_ a burden."

Beads of sweat rolled down the sides of Weiss' face, once pale cheeks now flushed from exertion and blackened with soot.

"Weeeiiisssssss-"

"No!" the ex-heiress exclaimed, coughing a bit. With her chest heaving, Weiss struggled to hold back the tears of frustration pooling in the corner of her eyes.

"I said I'm getting you out of here, and that's what I'm doing!"

Ignoring the thickening smoke blowing across their backs, Weiss trembled as she forced another foot forward. Wavering constantly under Yang's extra weight, Weiss did what she could to ignore her own growing weakness, drawing upon what little reserves of strength she had left. The rogue remained quiet all the while, drawing Weiss' concerned glance after a few more silent steps.

Yang was fading far more quickly than Weiss could have ever imagined. Weiss supposed part of the reason was the stream of crimson running down the length of the Yang's limp arm (her left one), a trail of red left behind them in the grass and dirt. Even with Weiss' tattered jacket wrapped tightly around the shoulder wound in a feeble attempt to staunch the blood, liquid crimson continued to flow unending.

And the other part? Well, just thinking about the other part made Weiss want to scream.

So she did. But less because of her mounting frustration and helplessness and more so because of the fist size rock in their path she failed to notice. The moment her booted foot connected with it, she tumbled forward, collapsing to her hands and knees, Yang going down with her.

"Damn it!" Weiss cursed, the ex-heiress' body shaking. Tears rolled down her black smudged cheeks, a sob threatening to spill forth.

How did things go so wrong?

* * *

><p><em>~ Emerald Forest. One hour ago. ~<em>

"My true name is Yang Xiao Long," Phoenix said. "And that little girl you saw, Ruru-"

A drawn out breath.

"Ruby…" the rogue amended. "... was my sister."

Weiss slowly dropped to her knees, the strength in her legs suddenly non-existent.

"W-Was?"

Weiss sucked in a hollow breath, her chest constricting almost painfully for some reason. A hand clenched at the fabric of her shirt covering her stomach, the same organ feeling as if it was doing somersaults. Awful ones at that. Turning to look forward again, Weiss' gaze fell on Phoenix, or rather, she stared at Yang, the blonde wistfully looking at the forest before them as she spoke up again.

"I was just a few days shy of my seventh birthday when it happened..."

_She awoke to the__ sound of shouts and screams. _

_Jolting upright in fear, limbs flailing uncoordinated, the back of her hand met something soft and warm, an audible smack echoing throughout the otherwise silent room. Wide eyes were locked onto the closed curtains covering her partially ajar window._

Weiss blinked rapidly as a fragment of memory emerged from the depths of her mind.

"_Owwie!" four year old Ruby exclaimed next to her, monetarily thrashing. Quickly gathering her bearings about her, Ruby sat up and held her reddening cheek. _

"_What was that for Yaya!?" the younger girl pouted. _

_Getting no reply after a few seconds, Ruby tugged on her sleeve, trying to get her attention._

_"Yaya?"_

Like before, this memory wasn't hers. While knowing this relieved Weiss to no end (thank the gods she wasn't going crazy!), that did nothing to stop the pure, unfiltered terror running through her system as Yang recounted her past, oblivious to Weiss' plight.

"Bandits attacked our village in the dead of night," Yang said, the fists at her sides shaking noticeably. "They thought it would be easy pickings, catching us off guard so late."

_The door to her bedroom swung open, clacking noisily when it hit the adjacent wall. Ruby jumped at the sound, as did she, her little sister immediately clinging to her arm, shaking. _

"_Mama!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling. "What's happening?!"_

"But we fought back, and things got… ugly…"

"_Yang, honey-"_

_A terrified shriek ripped through the air, making them all flinch. It was quickly followed by a loud bang from outside, one which shook the foundations of their wooden house. Only when the noise died down did she hear the screams and shouts again, in full force, those wails unlike anything she had ever heard before. Her skin crawled. _

_Ruby clutched at her arm, whimpering, cutting off circulation to her captured limb._

"_Yang, take your sister to the cellar and stay there until we come get you-"_

"_But Mama-"_

"_Yang please!" their mother shouted, desperation in her voice and eyes. Realizing what she had done, their mother's voice softened. _

"_Please Yang," the older woman repeated, her hands shaking as she cupped her cheek and patted Ruby's hair. "Be a good girl and do it for Mama?"_

Weiss' jaw clenched, her nails digging into the fabric of her jacket arms as she hugged herself. It was terrifying just how in sync Yang's recollection was with the memory currently invading her sight and hearing.

Was this punishment for something she had done? If not, was this just a cruel joke the gods were playing on her?

Weiss shook her head.

No. This was neither of those things. It was something much worse. This was something that had happened to Yang a long time ago, something which Weiss had been completely oblivious to. Up until now.

Weiss felt sick.

How naive she had been this entire time.

"There was a small cellar our family had," Yang said, the rogue's words drawing Weiss momentarily out of her thoughts. The memory continued on, still in perfect sync with her companion's words, despite Weiss' efforts to squash it down and forget it.

"_Yaya, I'm scared," Ruby whimpered beside her._

"It was not attached to the house like everyone else's, but closer to the forest at the back of our land. It's where we kept dried meat and other things for storage. If a wild animal came wandering by, it would go after the food and leave us alone."

_She wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulders, pulling her in for a tight, shaking hug. "Me too, Ruru. Me too."_

The clumps of dull, white jacket in Weiss' grasp rustled, on the verge of being torn into two as the ex-heiress clutched at herself tighter. She paid that muffled sound little heed however, Weiss' mind assaulted by much more agonizing things at the moment.

_It took everything she had to ignore the freakish screams seeping through the crack between the cellar's double doors._

She wanted this to stop.

The sights. The sounds. Even the smells.

But it wouldn't. It wouldn't until it was over, and that's what terrified Weiss the most. The ending of this real life nightmare.

"Our parents were supposed to be right behind us… They were supposed to be-"

A breath hitched in the rogue's throat, Weiss suddenly finding it hard to breathe. The next few words spoken by the blonde were forced out through clenched teeth, partially muffling them in that action, but they were clear enough to be understood.

"Instead, they were… They-"

_She couldn't breathe._

"_Mama!"_

_She couldn't think. _

"_Papa!"_

_She couldn't believe._

"_Wakey up!"_

_After spending who knows how long in that dark, cold cellar, she went against her mother's instructions and left. Despite knowing she would be punished severely for disobeying, she took Ruby and ventured back outside._

_She had to know._

_She had to know what had happened._

She had to know why things were suddenly quiet now, when before there was nothing but screaming and sobbing, and terror.

"_Mama!" Ruby wailed again, her small hands shaking the stiff, still body underneath them. "Wakey up!"_

_They should have never left the cellar._

"We were the only ones left," Yang said, her voice cracking.

Palms covered Weiss' eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. Unable to sit still any longer, useless, she forced herself to stand on wobbling legs, Weiss' chest heaving with suppressed sobs as she stumbled towards her companion.

"Everything was either on fire or was burned to the ground already," Yang said, the blonde not flinching in the least when Weiss wrapped her arms around the rogue's waist from behind, burying her tear stained face in the rogue's back.

"People too," Yang continued on, her voice hollow.

Weiss squeezed her companion that much tighter, weeping.

"Our parents… they-"

_She collapsed to her knees, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. The ground was muddy and red, sticky with the blood of the fallen. Stained with the blood of their parents. Ruby continued to wail next to their parents' bodies, screaming at them to wake up. _

_Unfortunately for the both of them, Ruby's pleas fell on deaf ears. The daggers sticking out of their parents' backs made sure of that. The daggers were as black as onyx, and half as wide as her forearm. While that in itself was impressive, their most distinguishing feature was the design of flames embossed on the dagger hilt. _

_It would be an image she would never forget for the rest of her life._

"S-S-Stop. Please s-stop," Weiss begged, clutching at Yang as if her very life depended on it. In some ways it did, or rather, her sanity did.

The barred gates of Lohr Am Main.

Sneaking past the guards when the refugees rioted after they were refused entry into the city.

Taking cover in some filthy back alley, using abandoned, wooden crates to escape from the elements.

Ruby getting sick.

That first memory had been the start. Once that one finally freed itself from the confines of her unconsciousness, the rest quickly followed, rampaging through her mind like an avalanche. Despite them all being Yang's memories, Weiss remembered every single one of them in perfect detail, as if they were her very own.

From the greedy, old healers who turned them away because they had no lien, to the bruises and scratches she hid from her sister after she was caught stealing food. From the countless, sleepless nights she experienced, wondering if they'd ever survive long enough to see the next day, to Ruby-

Weiss choked on a sob, barely feeling her companion shift in her arms.

- to Ruby not waking up.

She relived them all.

_She snapped awake to the sound of booming thunder. With her heart pounding away in her chest, her gaze quickly scanned the immediate area, sleep blinked away almost instantly. After realizing it was only the storm which had been threatening to soak them for days, she lay down on her side again, at the mouth of the crate they were using for cover, using her slightly larger frame to protect her younger sister from the wind and the chill these nights were known for. _

_Almost three weeks had passed since they snuck into the city of Lohr Am Main. As beautiful as the city was, with its pristine chapels and white marbled buildings, the residents here were cold and ruthless. No one batted an eye at them as they struggled to eat on a weekly basis. No one cared they only had the clothes on their backs to protect them from the nearly frigid nights. _

_Between the two of them, she fared only slightly better than Ruby. With her semblance having surfaced just weeks after her sixth birthday, she really didn't feel the cold too much anymore. While she was still untrained in using it to the fullest, as any child would be at her age, her Semblance always insulated her from the cooler temperatures, making her almost impervious to most levels of cold. Sadly, Ruby wasn't gifted like her sister, and quickly succumbed to illness by the end of their first week. Since then, she'd only gotten worse. _

_Taking a few more seconds to verify there were no dangers lurking about, at least ones she could see that is, she made herself comfortable again (as comfortable as she could get in a cracked, empty wooden crate) and closed her eyes. All of two seconds passed by before her eyelids split open again, her gaze immediately narrowing in on the small one next to her. _

_Ruby was terrified of thunder. No matter what time of the night it was, no matter how soft it was, no matter how far in the distance it was, the moment Ruby heard it, she would launch herself into her big sister's bed, wailing. But as it was right now, Ruby lay eerily still next to her._

_She swallowed thickly. "Ruru…?"_

_Seconds ticked by but Ruby remained silent._

_"Ruru?" she said, louder this time. She reached for her sister's shoulder, giving it a small shake._

_Nothing. No groaning. No whining. No coughing. Just absolute silence._

"_Ruby!?" she shouted, her voice shaking. She frantically shook the smaller girl next to her._

_All that answered her was the crashing of thunder and the howling winds._

"_RUBY!"_

"Shhhh," came a soft voice next to her ear. A calloused, yet gentle hand ran through her hair.

"I'm sorry," Yang said, her voice tinged with sadness. "I didn't mean to burden you with this. Don't cry."

Weiss opened her mouth to say something, pulling back to look at Yang in the face, but only managed to weep more. While the pain Yang felt was nothing that Weiss had ever experienced before, first hand at least, the former princess couldn't but feel as if it had happened to her personally.

"It's okay," Yang said, continuing to stroke her hair. The hand not in her hair was wrapped around the back of her shoulders, embracing her warmly.

"It's alright."

Weiss clutched at Yang's shirt, her knuckles going white. The tears would not stop, nor would the heaving breaths she took every time she gasped for air.

"Shhhh," the rogue repeated, rubbing her back. "It's alright. You're okay."

It hurt.

It hurt so much.

And Weiss wanted nothing more than to make all of that pain go away.

"All of that was in the past," Yang said quietly. "You're alright. You're safe."

But she didn't know how.

So Weiss did the only thing she could do. She cried for the both of them.

A kiss was pressed into her hair, the gesture making Weiss sob harder. The grip around her shoulders tightened a bit.

Yang's physical tears may have dried up a long time ago, but the emotional ones hadn't.

Not yet.

Weiss could hear them in the hollowness of the blonde's voice. She could see them in the way the rogue slumped ever so slightly as she recounted her darkest memories. She saw them in the lavender eyes which looked so melancholy as they stared at her. And to her, that was so wrong. She may have known Yang for only days, weeks even, but it didn't feel like that. It felt like she had known the rogue all her life, and Weiss wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

"Well, well, well," a voice said behind them. "This is a surprise."

Yang immediately tensed against her, Weiss yelping in surprise when the blonde became a blur of motion. She quickly found herself hidden protectively behind Yang's body, the rogue's forearms armored in her weapon. All of that happened in a mere three seconds.

"Oh," the voice said again, a distinctly female voice. "Someone's got a fire to them, don't they?"

"Who are you?!" Yang growled, Weiss flinching at the rogue's dangerous undertone.

Despite sensing the immense danger this person posed to them, one which Weiss had no explanation for, Weiss couldn't but dare a peek around Yang's muscle taut figure to get a look at their guest. The person's voice was familiar to her for some reason, very chillingly so, and she had to know why.

Blue eyes widened into saucers when her gaze finally landed on the other with them.

"Lady… Cinder Fall?" Weiss murmured.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**__ Ugh. Now I have a head ache. So much angst! :( It was hard for me, even as a writer, to write this chapter. I'm not the type of person to enjoy angst, but unfortunately this part of the story called for it. Remind me to never again to do something like this in the future. Fluffiness and cuteness for the win! XD_

_Haven is the combat school in Mistral that Neptune goes to. That said, Mistral didn't sound very dessert like, so I chose to have Haven act in its place for this story. Keep in mind however, I have no idea what Mistral is really like. It could be RWBY's version of Atlantis for all I know. But for the purposes of this story, I'm using Haven to be a kind of oasis in the dessert, and hence Weiss' description of it at the beginning of this chapter._

_In this story, Ruby and Yang's mother is not a huntress, as revealed in Volume 2, Chapter 6. Here, she is a regular house wife._

_I don't think I've ever really stated how old everyone is. Yang is nearly 21 years old, Weiss the same. Ruby, unlike the show, is 3 years younger than Yang here, as compared to 2 years from the show._

_Lohr am Main is a real German town where it is said the real mirror from Snow White's fairytale resides. The mirror is up on display at the Spessart Museum. As King Schnee governs the land, I thought it would be a nice touch to have a village/town be called after something close to the Snow White fairy tale._


	13. Save Me From the Things I See

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And another chapter is up! This chapter gave me some trouble. While it still doesn't feel like how I want it to, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless._

_On another note, please check out my profile page for a RWBY poll (if it's not up yet, give it an hour or so before checking again). I'm curious to see what kinds of stories (length-wise) everyone is interested in. The poll will run until the end of the year and depending on the results, I may adjust future stories accordingly. No promises however. :P_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 13: Save Me From the Things I See<span> ~ ***

"Well, well, well," a voice said behind them. "This a surprise."

Danger.

She was in so much danger right now.

Weiss didn't know how or why she knew that, but she did. Given Yang's reaction to this person, it seemed the rogue felt that way too.

"Oh," the voice continued on, amused. "Someone's got a fire to them, don't they?"

Yang bristled, the muscles of the rogue's back visibly flexing under her shirt as she raised her arms defensively. Weiss made out a glint of gold in that motion, the former heiress hearing familiar clicks and whirls as Yang's weapon primed on her forearms.

"Who are you!?" Yang snarled, almost feral-like.

Weiss cringed at the venom heard in her companion's tone. Taking a shaking, half step backwards, she stared at the blonde in shock.

Weiss had seen Yang angry before. Like when Yang saved her from the Atlas mercenaries. Like when Yang defended her from the Beowolves. Like when Weiss first brought up the notion of duty and family before they really knew each other, setting Yang off on a rant. But the anger here and now displayed by the rogue was not like anything Weiss had ever seen before. Never before had Yang been ticked off so fast, that fact both scaring Weiss, as well as fuelling her rising curiosity about their guest.

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, Weiss hesitantly leaned to the right, peering past Yang's shoulder and head. The moment she spied the newcomer, she froze.

"Lady… Cinder Fall?" she uttered in shock.

Standing less than ten feet away from them, adorned in what looked to be a black hooded cloak, was none other than King Schnee's right hand.

And mistress.

Though only Weiss knew about the latter.

Shock quickly changed into bitterness when she realized who stood with them, Weiss gritting her teeth as she fought down the urge to physically lash out at the older woman.

"Unbelievable," she muttered.

Of all the people who could have found her here, it had to be Lady Cinder Fall.

_Why did it have to be her?_

Weiss had always hated Cinder. From the moment the woman came into her life, she knew nothing good would come of it. With the way those almost glowing eyes followed her every move every time Weiss was in the same room as her, to the way the older woman flaunted her body with those low cut crimson dresses and tacky glass heels (like the ones she wore right now, visible under her cloak), everything about Cinder Fall just screamed wrongness. But her fat– correction, King Schnee – never noticed a damn thing and quickly became enamoured with the woman. It made Weiss sick.

"You know her?"

Yang's rougher than normal voice was a welcomed reprieve to Weiss' thoughts. Angry as Yang was, the rogue was also concerned. And comforting. It made Weiss feel… happy… But then that _woman_ had to speak again, ruining things.

"Of course she does, _Darling_," Cinder stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "_Everyone_ in the kingdom knows who I am. You'd have to be daft _not_ to know of me."

Weiss' left hand shot out to grab Yang's right forearm, the rogue taking one menacing stomp forward. Cinder merely grinned at the action, not the least bit bothered by the blonde's open challenge. But Weiss was. Yang was shaking in her grasp, the rogue's fists white knuckled. While it was surprising for Yang to be acting so rashly, as Yang had shown moments of great logical clarity in the past, this was a far too common reaction from people who faced Lady Cinder Fall. Something about the older woman just made people irrational, to the point of stupidity.

"Don't," Weiss chided quietly, stepping closer to her companion. "She's baiting you. Don't fall for her trap."

A finely plucked eyebrow rose at those words, Cinder staring at Weiss with calculating eyes.

The muscles in Yang's arm flexed as she gritted her teeth, the rogue's fists clenching even harder making her knuckles crack audibly. "I don't care who she is, she's-"

"She is Lady Cinder Fall," Weiss interrupted before Yang could say anything more. "From the noble House of Fall."

A pause.

"Not only is she a skilled Aura user," Weiss spat, her tone sour. "She is also the youngest and only woman to take up the position of Head Royal Advisor to the King."

Weiss shuddered, desperately wanting something strong enough to wash down the bile rising in her throat right now. Talking about _her_ always left a bad taste in her mouth, more so now with Yang staring at Weiss with her jaw hanging loose. Hopefully that wasn't because the rogue was awed. There was nothing amazing about Cinder Fall. Not in the least.

A bone chilling laugh.

"My, my," Cinder said, running a hand casually through her mostly hidden locks of raven hair. The black hood on her head shifted in that action, but remained on her head.

"Such unwarranted _animosity_."

The grip on Yang's arm went tighter, Weiss glaring daggers at her father's Royal Advisor.

"But she is right," Cinder continued, her lips curling upwards maliciously. She shifted her gaze from Weiss to Yang. "All except for one thing." Burning yellow eyes drifted back to Weiss making her scowl.

In the royal court, it was a well-known fact that Weiss was a perfectionist. She was diligent, thorough, and downright determined, almost to the point of obsession. So to be so blatantly accused of erroring, well, it was not something Weiss would take lightly. Cinder was intentionally trying to push her over the edge.

And it was working.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Weiss pressed out between clenched teeth. Her fingers twitched against Yang's skin again, her free hand balling at her side.

Cinder smirked, as if expecting that response.

"Have you forgotten that I'm also the Right Hand of the King, dearest Weiss?" Cinder gloated, the whites of her teeth showing as she smiled.

Blue eyes narrowed into slits as Weiss trembled with barely concealed rage, the beginnings of a fine mist leaking off of her form.

"Why, I'm practically _family,_" Cinder drew out with specific emphasis, the Royal Advisor raising her chin just enough to look down the length of her nose at the two opposite her.

"Is that really any way to treat your _Mother_?"

Trees within a ten foot radius iced over in an instant, Weiss lurching forward, her fists swinging wildly.

"Know your place harlot!" Weiss roared, the only thing keeping her from beating Cinder's face in being the restraining arms of Yang around her waist.

"Whoa Weiss!_ Weiss!_" Yang exclaimed in surprise, but the ex-princess didn't hear her.

"You may be the Advisor to my father-" Weiss snarled, her chest heaving as she writhed and flailed, trying to break free from the rogue. Yang remained steadfast in her hold however, not giving up an inch.

"- but that does not make you kin! Don't you dare mock the memory of my true mother with your taint! DON'T! YOU! _DARE!_"

Once amused yellow eyes were now dark and ravaging, Cinder's gaze lingering heavily on the newly frozen ice covered trees. The line of frost which came with the sudden icing stopped just inches short of her feet, causing a momentarily glance downwards before Cinder's gaze met Weiss's again.

"You broke the seal."

Exhausted at this point, having made no progress breaking out of the rogue's near steel grip, Weiss could only glare at Cinder huffing, her posture bordering on limp.

"What?" she snapped, Weiss not feeling Yang tense up behind her.

The air around Cinder shimmered and blurred, the feeling of wrongness that the older woman exuded quickly multiplying tenfold. Weiss shivered, quickly returning to her senses, realizing the situation. Yang's arms disappeared from around her waist.

"What are you-"

"I should have killed you the first time your Aura manifested," the Royal Advisor remarked, Cinder now walking towards them for the first time since this conversation started.

Unprepared for that statement, Weiss found herself speechless and immobile with shock, her mind staggering to process Cinder's words. Shock quickly morphed into horror when Weiss' gaze was drawn to the trails of red condensing in the other woman's hands.

"But that would have complicated things for me and I couldn't have that. Not then."

Wisps of red blossomed into flames of crimson, a gasp escaping Weiss' throat as the blood red flames engulfed Cinder's hands as if alive.

"But now, it doesn't matter. Now I don't have to worry about that anymore," Cinder continued on. "Now I can do what I should have done years ago!"

Before Weiss could even blink, the flames in Cinder's hands burst outwards from her open palms, combining together to form a massive fireball mid-air. Stumbling backwards in panic, Weiss' back hit something firm, halting her hasty retreat. Too terrified to think straight, Weiss threw up her arms to protect her face, internally praying for something to stop it, to freeze it, to _shield_ her from it-

A trill ran through her, something Weiss would later realize to be the flaring of her Aura. At the sound of crackling, and not of the fiery kind, Weiss dared a peek past her raised arms, her eyes widening at the sight before her.

There, separating her from the impending fireball of doom, was a blinding light blue vertical snowflake shaped Dust glyph.

The crimson ball of flames smashed into the paper thin glyph a second after it appeared, the collision being one of explosive heat and the frigidness of winter. Just when it seemed the Dust glyph would block the attack, it shattered to the sound of breaking glass, ice-like shards instantly melting under the scorching flames of the fireball, Weiss' vision instantly filling with red.

* * *

><p>An annoyed huff.<p>

"And people say I'm dramatic."

Locks of golden hair swished through the air as Yang yanked Weiss backwards by the arm, unceremoniously dropping her white haired companion on her hands and knees behind her. Charging forward three steps, Yang planted her feet in front of Weiss, bringing up her armored arms crossed in front of her face just as the ridiculously large ball of red fire finally reached them.

Gritting her teeth, what little Aura she had flaring, Yang growled as the foreign flames crashed against her arms, threatening to devour her whole. Ice melted underfoot from the sheer concentration heat, the frozen trees closest to them also thawing out at a rapid rate. Digging her heels into the ground when her stance faulted slightly because of the newly formed mud, a soft whimper had Yang glancing back over her shoulder only to meet the terror hunched form of Weiss. For a moment, time and space were irrelevant, the only thing of concern being that smaller, shaking girl so filled with fear.

_I won't let anyone hurt you._

Ignoring the immense strain on her body, Yang looked forward again, the ringlets of fire Dust stones on Ember Celica flashing red. Bellowing out in a loud war cry, a spout of yellow and orange flames shot forth from Yang's gauntlets, straining her Aura to its limits. Yellow and orange met red in a combustion of sound and pressure and force, and then red flames were split into two, the two cleanly split halves of the massive fireball flying harmlessly past Yang and Weiss on either side of them. The two halves smashed into the frost covered trees behind them seconds later, causing an eruption of ice and half melted bark. Weiss yelped in surprise when that happened, Yang not flinching in the slightest, but then the forest fell silent again and the red flames faded.

Lavender coloured eyes shined with mirth as Cinder's mouth hung open, the older woman's eyes wide with surprise and shock. Behind her, Yang was almost certain her white haired companion shared a similar look, the mere thought of Weiss gaping at her with saucer-like eyes nearly making Yang giggle. Yang didn't of course, instead choosing to smirk, Yang tossing a lock of golden hair over her shoulder.

"And that ladies," Yang began, breathlessly grinning. "Is how to be dramatic!"

For a time, there was only the soft whooshing of the wind and the gentle crinkle of swaying leaves. Then came the smack of a palm meeting a forehead and Weiss groaned somewhere behind her.

"You!" Cinder snarled, amber coloured eyes now narrowed menacingly.

"Yes," Yang said, her voice a bit thin, the right corner of her mouth curling upwards. "Me."

A step towards the other Aura user.

"Me, me, me."

Another step. Then another. And another.

"And don't forget Ice Princess back there," Yang said with a flourishing wave to the white haired girl behind her.

"Why do you keep calling me that!?" Weiss exclaimed, indignant.

The former heiress' outburst was ignored.

"Why do you insist on ruining my plans!?" Cinder hissed, the air around her shimmering with heat.

Yang crossed her arms over her chest, causing her breath to momentarily hitch in her throat. A throbbing pain pulsed dully between her shoulder blades, travelling up her arms and hands, but neither Weiss nor the Royal Advisor seemed to notice. Yang glared at Cinder.

"Oh, I don't know," she said. "Maybe because it's fun."

If looks could kill, Yang would have been dead at least a dozen times by now.

Cinder scowled, her eyebrows furling as her lips pressed together into a fine line. The air around the older Aura user took on a crimson hue now, crimson like blood.

"Is it lien? Is that it?" Cinder demanded. "Name your price! Whatever they're paying you, I'll double it!"

A golden eyebrow rose, Yang shifting her stance to put more weight on her right foot. Unbeknownst to both Cinder and Weiss, Yang was still recovering from her fight with Junior and the twins. Despite days having passed since then, it was taking longer than usual for her Aura to heal her injuries. Only Yang knew the reason for that, but she was in no mood for sharing right now. Thankfully Weiss hadn't noticed her minor limp, nor had the white haired girl noticed Yang's barely concealed jerky movements due to stiffness. She wouldn't be able to keep that a secret for long though, not at the current rate of things. But Yang was hopeful she'd be able to get things under control before it took a turn for the worst.

"You really think I'm being paid to do this?" Yang asked, incredulity clearly heard in her voice.

Cinder scoffed, her lips twisting further in disgust. "Why else would you be doing this?"

Yang opened her mouth to retort only to be beaten to it.

"Her reasons are her own," Weiss said, the former princess walking up to Yang's side from behind. "Just like your reasons are yours."

Despite keeping her gaze trained on Cinder, Yang could still see Weiss' tremble through her peripheral vision. She remained silent on the matter however, knowing how much courage it took Weiss to face an opponent clearly leagues above her. That was the funny thing about Aura users. You always knew when another was around, even without having to say a word. That, and it wasn't hard to figure out just how powerful an Aura user was, unless they were intentionally suppressing their Aura.

Lady Cinder Fall was not suppressing her Aura.

"Unlike her," Weiss continued, her words clipped. "Your actions against us today, against me, are treason of the highest form, punishable by death."

Cinder rolled her eyes at that remark, a smirk visible on her face. Weiss apparently didn't take too kindly to that gesture, the former heiress' hands clenching into fists, the white haired girl taking a step forward, wound up tighter than a spring.

"Explain yourself!" Weiss demanded, huffing audibly.

Dragging her gaze from her companion back to the Royal Advisor, Yang's fingers clenched and unclenched against her arms. That was the only indication which betrayed her nervousness, the sudden lack of talking between them making her feel very uncomfortable. Cinder, by far, was the worst opponent she had ever faced in her entire life. From the way she moved, to the words she said, the older woman was a true predator. Yang didn't need an hour long fight to know that. Aura was the manifestation of one's soul. Just clashing against it once was enough for Yang to figure out just how much trouble they were in.

Cinder laughed, a sound Yang put on the same level as nails-on-a-chalkboard. Her skin absolutely crawled at that sound, Weiss shivering next to her because of it. Yang wasn't sure how she managed not to shiver herself, but she did.

"Treason?" Cinder mocked, the woman laughing again. "Me? The Head Advisor to the King? Surely you jest."

"Don't play innocent with-" Weiss started.

"Princess Schnee is dead!" Cinder snapped, her voice almost a growl. "At least, that's what the rest of the kingdom thinks," the older woman said in a slightly less hostile tone.

Yang stiffened at that declaration, a horrible fluttering flipping her stomach.

"Wha-What…" Weiss sputtered next to her, the white haired girl taking a shaking step backwards. "What nonsense are you saying?"

If smiles could curdle blood, that would be the smile Cinder was giving them right now. This time, Yang could not suppress her shiver.

"It's not nonsense girl," the Royal Advisor said. "I assure you."

Stepping forward out of the shadows of the trees, Cinder pulled down her hood, affording Yang a better look. Whether because of the woman's beauty (as loathed as she was to admit it, Yang couldn't ignore the older woman's... radiance) or just sheer presence, Yang took a step backwards, bringing her in line with Weiss again.

"It was tragic, heartbreaking really," Cinder began, the other Aura user putting a hand on her chest as if deeply pained by her words. Yang was not buying the act.

"The beloved Princess of all of Vale..." A pause. "_M__urdered_ by the greedy, lien stealing _Phoenix_ before the King could pay the ransom."

Yellow eyes snapped over to Yang in an instant. "You know, you have quite the bounty on you right now. Fifty thousand lien, in a reward for your head."

Yang glared at Cinder, a low growl emanating from her throat.

"Surprised?" Lady Cinder Fall asked, the left side of her mouth curling upwards. "Don't be. I know _all_ about you _Phoenix_."

Yang's arms were no longer crossed over her chest. Now they were rigid in front of her, her hands clenched into fists.

"Truth be told," Cinder continued. "I was surprised to learn you were a woman. With how those bumbling idiots were going on and on about you, one would have thought you to be a man."

Yang's head jerked back an inch, her eyes widening slightly before she glared again.

"You sent those bounty hunters after us."

Weiss' head whipped towards Yang, her jaw hanging.

"Yes," Cinder admitted rather easily. "For all the good it did me."

A sigh.

"I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised just how easily they were beaten, given what I was paying them. Good help is so hard to find these days," Cinder droned. "Though..."

Yang gritted her teeth as Cinder looked her up and down, heat in her gaze. It made her feel so violated and angry and scared all at once, but Yang managed to keep her expression neutral aside from anger.

"You're a little rough around the edges, but that can be... _refined_... with some guidance." Cinder smirked, giving her another once over. "What do you say, _Darling_? Two of the strongest fire manipulators together. No kingdom would stand a chance against us! And all that lien, just ripe for the taking! We would be rich beyond our wildest dreams!"

A grin.

"Think about it," Cinder said with half hooded eyes. "After all, that's why you're out here in the first place, is it not?"

Yang opened her mouth, ready to rebuke, only to freeze instead. Despite wanting to vehemently fight back against the older woman's words, Yang could not.

Because Cinder was right.

The reason Yang was out here in the first place was because of lien. She had come out here, just like any other bounty hunter, searching for riches. She hadn't cared about the princess when she started. Weiss was just a means to an end at the time. That all changed of course, when she was later forced to stick with Weiss as they sought a way out of here. And that was why Yang remained silent. Because Cinder's words were true.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Cinder sneered.

Yang's head and shoulders drooped with guilt and shame.

"No."

Yang's gaze snapped up from the ground to see a white clad arm held out in front of her. Much to her surprise, Weiss stepped forward to partially stand in front of her.

"Weiss…?"

"She is _not_ joining you," Weiss stated, her tone hard. "Nor is she a greedy tyrant like you."

Yang watched, stunned, as the ex-heiress spoke.

"You talk like you know her," Weiss said. "But you don't."

"And you do?" Cinder questioned, a finely curved eyebrow raising. The older woman crossed her arms over her chest.

"No," Weiss said, making Yang's heart drop.

That hurt.

That one word hurt so much.

Yang's gaze dropped to the ground again.

"Not completely."

Yang perked up at that comment, a sliver of hope burning in her chest as her gaze found its way to the back of Weiss' head. As if feeling Yang looking at her, Weiss peered back over her shoulder, harsh blue eyes quickly softening upon sight of Yang.

"But I want to," Weiss said in almost a whisper. Her outstretched hand lowered, the white haired girl's palm soon finding Yang's, their fingers intertwining with each other.

"I…"

Weiss' smile was brilliant.

"I'd like that too," Yang said breathlessly, almost as equally quiet.

And just like that, Yang forgot all about Cinder. And the forest. And everything else that was not Weiss. For that moment, it was just the two of them, their eyes locked with each other, no words spoken between them, yet everything understood.

"_Disgusting." _

Yang's attention snapped back to Cinder in an instant, the forest and everything around them coming back into view again.

"Just look at you," Cinder hissed, her lip curled downwards as if she had just eaten something sour. "Acting like a snivelling, love sick mongrel, all because of an ungrateful whore. And for what? Friendship?"

"L-Love?" Weiss stuttered, her face flushing.

Yang didn't quite have the same reaction her companion did.

"What did you just say?" she snarled, her lips pulled back and her teeth bared.

"Pathetic," Cinder sneered, the air around her darkening into a blood red mist. "You were offered the entire world and yet you throw it away!"

"There are some things worth more than all the lien in the world you know!" Yang exclaimed, breathing hard. With a gentle tug, she pulled Weiss protectively behind her again.

"Not like you'd understand what that means," Yang added as an afterthought.

Now it was Cinder's turn to snarl, the other Aura user taking one threatening step forward.

"That is enough Cinder!" Weiss exclaimed from behind Yang, momentarily halting the older woman's advance. "This ends now. It's over."

Weiss squeezed Yang's hand, Yang squeezing back.

Yellow eyes flared. "You're right," Cinder said in a low voice. "It is over. For the both of you!"

The air ignited with red again, a massive ball of flames shot in their direction. As Weiss sucked in a startled breath, Yang withdrew her hand from Weiss' and dashed forward. Mud squelched under her heels, Yang's right fist connected with the fireball a second later, the grey stones on Ember Celica lighting up briefly. Soon red flames were evaporating, cancelled out by ones of yellow and orange, leaving Yang huffing hard. Yang looked at her opponent, panting.

"This again?" she asked, breathless. "Is that all you can do?"

"Oh no," Cinder smirked, her amber coloured eyes wide and wild. "That is just the beginning. There's a lot more where that came from!"

Cinder crossed her arms in front of her, Yang watching immobile as the woman's maroon clad limbs flashed gold, blinding her for a second. When her sight returned, Yang found five rings of white and orange runes circling around Cinder's form, running the length of the Aura user's body. At the sound of a high pitched squeal crossed with the rustling of leaves, Yang instinctively flipped backwards but was unable to dodge the explosion of red. Caught mid-air, a searing, nearly back breaking force sent her tumbling head over heels in the air, Yang smashing to the ground hard seconds later on her upper back and neck. Her feet hit the ground two seconds later.

"Yang!"

Dazed and disoriented, it took a moment for Yang to catch her breath. Pushing herself up by her elbows, her clothes and skin smouldering lightly, lavender coloured eyes quickly locked onto the approaching figure in red. A smirk split the bottom half of Yang's face.

A chuckle.

"Is that all ya got?" Yang said, coughing for a moment. She stood up on wobbly legs. "My grandma could hit me harder than that."

"Yang!" Weiss shouted again, somewhere off to the side.

With yellow eyes trying to burn holes into her, Yang spit out a mouthful of blood. Ignoring the stinging of her split lip, she rubbed away the line of red trickling down her chin with the back of her hand.

"Don't worry Weissy," Yang said, rolling her shoulders. "I got this."

Raising her fists up in front of her, Yang grinned.

"My turn."

Cocking back her right fist, Yang punched forward, a flaming ball of her own launching from Ember Celica, straight at Cinder. Following that not even a second later was her left fist, another fireball of orange and yellow rocketing through the air at her opponent. She would repeat this action, two more times, a total of six fireballs whistling through the air at the woman known as Cinder Fall. Ignoring the fact these were balls of fire, essentially the equivalent to napalm, getting hit by one of these babies would make you feel like you got run over by a twelve hundred kilogram bull. It was her strongest attacks to date.

Standing her ground, Cinder lowered her head slightly, the Aura user bringing up her open left palm facing outwards. Barely moving, aside for her arm, Cinder extinguished fireball after fireball with nothing but her palm and a flash of crimson flames.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Watching her last fireball fizzle out, Yang swallowed thickly as Cinder's gaze fell upon her again.

"Well..." Yang said, completely flabbergasted. "That was a thing."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**__ Like before, I've made a minor adjustment to Cinder's abilities. Her fire is red/crimson colour, a nod to her nickname (which was Crimson) before her true name was revealed. The same could be said about Yang's fireballs, those being changed from red to a yellow and orange colour. The red seemed more evil to me, which is why Cinder wields those flames._

_The brawl between Cinder and Yang is based on Ruby's initial introduction to Cinder in Volume 1, Chapter 1 as well as Yang's brief fight with the Ursas in initiation, also in Volume 1. As well, the choreography for this battle sequence was decided way before Volume 2, Chapter 7, and hence why Cinder's fighting style is different here as compared to the show._

_Unlike her anime self in Volume 2, Yang does not get stronger the more she gets hit in this story. In this story, she's pretty much a regular person, slowly wearing down and getting hurt the more hits she takes._

_For those of you wondering, Cinder's and Yang's flames/fire cancels each other out. Think of the saying "fight fire with fire". As it is possible for more than one Aura user to have the same Affinity, as seen with Cinder and Yang, their Affinities are not exactly the same as they are different people. In this case, Cinder and Yang are like opposites of each other, and hence, why their flames cancel each other out. Not completely logical, but not everything in this world is. Lol._

_Some of you may consider Cinder to be OoC in this story. Unfortunately, that can not be helped. My characterization of Cinder Fall is based on what was seen of her in RWBY Volume 1. I won't be incorporating anything of her character from Volume 2 to keep consistent with the story. _


	14. Freeze and Burn Part I

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And another chapter is up! Prepare for all out battle! Well... the start of it at least. Lol._

_Don't forget I still have a poll up on my profile page. If you haven't done so already, have a look and vote! :)_

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ Guest – Thanks for the comment! Just wait until you see what happens next! Hehe._

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 14: Freeze and Burn Part I<span> ~ ***

"My turn."

Cocking back her fist, Yang let loose a slew of fireballs – six in total – the flaming projectiles rocketing towards her target like heat seeking missiles. Rather confident of her abilities, Yang watched in utter shock as the woman named Cinder Fall dispatched her efforts with a quick flash of red flames and a flick of her wrist.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

When the final fireball was extinguished, Cinder's glowing gaze fell upon her again.

"Well..." Yang said, swallowing thickly. "That was a thing."

So much for finishing things off quickly.

"Look out!"

Cinder made a sweeping motion with her outstretched hand, Yang's gaze immediately drawn to the sudden movement at her feet. Her eyes widened at the fiery vortex swirling under her soles, Yang barely somersaulting to the left as a geyser of red flames shot skyward, scorching everything in its wake. The moment she was on her feet again, Yang was back flipping away, evading another pillar of red fire. Mid flip and upside down, Yang winced as her cloak – what was left of it – went up in ashes, the covering having been caught in the second blast. Taking only a second to mourn the loss of her garment, Yang quickly ducked behind the nearest tree before Cinder could target her again.

"What's the matter, Phoenix?" came the Royal Advisor's mocking tone. "Don't tell me you're done already."

With her heart thudding away in her chest, Yang panting heavily, she pressed her back flush against the tree behind her. That was the only thing keeping her upright at the moment. Sweat rolled down her cheeks in rivers, Yang trembling from head to toe.

She'd overdone it.

She had used too much Aura at the beginning of this fight and was now paying for it. Her head was throbbing, her vision blurring, her reactions sluggish. Had she been in top form, Yang would have brushed this off as nothing. But as it was, she gotten into this mess with less than an eighth of her Aura and the fire Dust stones on Ember Celica nearly all black.

The hairs on the back of her neck raised, Yang quickly scurrying away from her cover tree for another. Just seconds after she moved, an eruption of flames engulfed her previous location and incinerated everything within a five foot radius.

"Yang!"

"W-Weiss!?"

Yang flinched at the sheer proximity of the white haired girl. Weiss was taking cover behind a tree of her own, just feet to Yang's left.

"Are you mad?" Yang exclaimed, her eyes wide in surprise. "What are you still doing here?! Run!"

"No!" Weiss shouted back, her fear filled blue eyes shimmering. "Not without yo-"

Her cover tree exploded into blazing splinters, sending Yang crashing to the ground face first. Only her nearly none existent Aura kept her from blacking out, far-a-less keeping her head on her shoulders. Disoriented and coughing up a mouthful of dirt and grass, Yang did nothing to resist the small hands suddenly on her arm which yanked her upwards to her hands and knees and dragged her off towards the side.

"You should listen to her girl," Cinder's voice floated through the air. "If you run now, it will make the chase that much more… _enjoyable_…"

A snicker.

"Once I'm done with the _lovely_ Phoenix, of course."

"Yang…" Weiss nearly whimpered.

Yang blinked blearily, her vision swimming. Her head still pounded, but it was becoming more manageable. Gathering enough of her wits about her, she found herself sitting with her back to a tree, Weiss in front of her on her knees.

"Don't you dare close your eyes!" Weiss exclaimed, her small, cool palms cradling Yang's face.

For a moment, Yang relished the feel of those hands on her cheeks, the rogue deeply inhaling the cool, crisp scent of what could only be described as Weiss. She closed her eyes.

_I won't let anyone hurt you._

"Yang!"

Before Weiss could yell at her a second time, Yang reached up and covered her companion's hands with her own. Opening her eyes again, a small smile on her face, she locked gazes with the teary Weiss. The ex-heiress was trembling, no doubt on the verge of a breakdown.

"Weiss."

The said girl yelped as she was yanked forward, straight into Yang's waiting arms.

"Don't worry," Yang said, her arms wrapping around the white haired girl's shoulders. Weiss' face pressed up against her neck.

_I won't let anyone hurt you._

"I'm not done yet."

Holding onto the former princess for a second longer, Yang swiftly released Weiss and untangled herself from the girl.

"Yang?"

Yang's smile widened at her companion as she staggered to her feet, the white haired girl being so kind as to help her up. As both of them straightened up, a fist sized chuck of tree was blown off the side closest to Yang, making them both flinch.

"Come now, Phoenix," Cinder chided, still out of sight. "You're just delaying the inevitable. Why not stop hiding and finally put an end to it all. I promise to make it quick."

"You took the words straight out of my mouth!" Yang yelled back. "I surrender!"

Yang raised her gauntlets.

"What are you doing!?" Weiss hissed, looking at Yang with wide eyes. Weiss gripped at Yang's arm like a vice.

A laugh filled the air making Yang cringe, her eyes narrowing at the sound.

"_Surrender?" _Cinder echoed. "Don't tell me you're having a change of heart."

"Do you trust me, Weiss?" Yang asked, in a voice only Weiss could hear. Not waiting for the former princess' response, Yang fidgeted with the fire Dust stones on Ember Celica, managing to yank half of the almost spent stones off of her weapon. A total of five fire Dust stones ended up in each hand as a result.

"Not quite!" Yang shouted around the tree again. She momentarily faced the opposite direction from Weiss to make sure the other fire wielder heard her. "I was thinking more along the lines of you and me talking this out like civilized people!"

Turning back to look at her hands, Yang bit her lip, channelling a sliver of Aura into the Dust stones.

"Oh _Phoenix_," Cinder said, amusement in her tone. "I _am_ being civilized."

A rumble.

"It is _you_ who is being the uncivilized one," Cinder said, her voice dropping an octave. "It's rather rude to keep a lady waiting. Face me and take your punishment!"

Half of the Dust stones in Yang's hands flickered red before darkening again. Dizzy from exertion, Yang swayed on her feet. Slender arms wrapped around her shoulders, preventing her from keeling over right then and there. Allowing herself to be propped up against the tree again, Yang leaned her head back, her eyes closing as she caught her breath.

"I trust you, Yang," Weiss said softly, the ex-heiress leaning her forehead against Yang's cheek. While it was a simple gesture, Yang found herself deeply comforted by it.

"B-But just because I trust you doesn't mean you can go and do something stupid!" the white haired girl quickly snapped, pulling back just enough to glare at Yang. "You better come back to me in one piece! You hear me, _Dolt?!_"

Lavender coloured eyes went wide for a few seconds before a tired chuckle escape Yang's lips.

"Thanks Princess," Yang said, a smile on her face. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

"You better," Weiss huffed, looking away after a few seconds. Her cheeks were a noticeable pink colour.

"_Phoenix_," Cinder almost growled, the tone making both Yang and Weiss wince. "I'm growing impatient. Do I need to come over there and _burn_ the both of you out?!"

Feeling Weiss trembling against her, without thinking, Yang leaned over and gave the girl a quick peck on the cheek. Weiss' face flushed instantly, her eyes going wide as she sputtered.

"W-Wha-"

"For luck," Yang said, the right side of her mouth curling upwards in a lopsided smile. She shrugged.

Separating herself from Weiss now that she'd recouped some strength, Yang turned away to rush out of cover, only to pause when a hand on her arm held her back.

"Yang, I…" Weiss began. The white haired girl bit her lip, her eyes so full of conflict.

Yang smiled at her. "It will be alright, Weissy," she said. "We'll make it through this."

"I believe you," Weiss said almost immediately, her grip on Yang's arm going tighter. "It's just that-"

"Phoenix!" Cinder's voice boomed again, louder this time.

Yang flinched, her heart pounding in her chest. She quickly glanced in the direction Cinder's voice came from.

"Oh curse it all!"

Surprised by that outburst, Yang turned towards Weiss only to freeze halfway when a pair of incredibly soft lips met her cheek. She nearly dropped all of the Dust stones in her hands when that happened, Yang just barely stopping herself when she felt the stones clink in her grip. With her jaw hanging and her eyes wide, Yang stared at her white haired companion, gaping.

"F-For luck," Weiss said quietly, wringing her hands tightly in front of her. Weiss shyly looked away.

Yang raised her hand to her face, her hand stopping just short when Dust stones clinked in her grasp again.

"Weiss, I-"

"_Phoenix!"_

A blast of fire slammed into their cover tree again, making the tree shudder violently.

"Good luck," Weiss said quickly, forcing a smile on her face. "Now go and deal with her so we can finally get out of this place! I'm very impatient I'll have you know."

Yang chuckled again, giving Weiss a mock salute. "Yes your Highness! Right away your Highness!"

Not missing the roll of Weiss' eyes, Yang did a flourishing bow before she rushed out of cover to face her hardest opponent yet.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**__ This is definitely the shortest chapter of the story so far. Unfortunately, there was no other way to break up this chapter and the next one. Hopefully the next chapter will make up for this one. Lol._

_As mentioned in the previous chapter, the brawl between Cinder and Yang is based on Ruby's initial introduction to Cinder in Volume 1, Chapter 1 as well as Yang's brief fight with the Ursas in initiation, also in Volume 1. As well, the choreography for this battle sequence was decided way before Volume 2, Chapter 7, and hence why Cinder's fighting style is different here as compared to the show._

_Again, some of you may consider Cinder to be OoC in this story. Unfortunately, that can not be helped. My characterization her of Cinder Fall is based on what was seen of her in RWBY Volume 1. I won't be incorporating anything of her character from Volume 2 to keep consistent with the story._


	15. Freeze and Burn Part II

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And another chapter is up and this one is a doozy! _

_**WARNING! **__While I don't think the violence in this chapter quite reaches the M rating, the fight ahead may be difficult to read. You have been warned!_

_Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll. The poll is now closed. I was honestly surprised with the results, having thought it would lean in a different direction. Even so, I'm glad to see you all are enjoying my works._

_And on one final note, I just realized this story has reached over 100 reviews, follows and favorites. Wow. You guys and gals are awesome! Thanks so much! :)_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 15: Freeze and Burn Part II<span> ~ ***

"Finally come to meet your fate?"

The moment Yang ducked around the tree, Weiss' smile vanished. Now in its place was a tightly furled brow and finely pressed lips. Weiss' stomach was doing somersaults, not the very nice kind, the knuckles of her hands white as they clenched together in front of her.

"If anyone is meeting their fate today, it's you," Yang retorted.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, Weiss peered around her cover, her nerves and curiosity getting the better of her. Yang stood five feet away from her with her back to Weiss, the rogue's hands behind her, hiding the Dust stones she held. Cinder was just over fifteen feet away from Yang, her black cloak on the ground a few steps behind her glass heels. Pulsing yellow sigils ran the length of the Royal Advisor's dress, along Cinder's arms and across her upper torso. The fire user's yellow eyes glowed as she fixed Yang with a glare.

"Care to back up those bold words?" Cinder asked, an open challenge heard in her voice.

Yang shifted slightly. "I'll tell you what," the rogue began. "You let us walk out of here, unharmed, and we'll forget this ever happened."

Cinder's eyebrows raised, Weiss feeling her own do the same.

"You really think I'd let you walk out of here, just like that?" Cinder questioned, her eyes narrowing again.

"Not really," Yang admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. "But it was worth a try."

Cinder crossed her arms over her chest and laughed. "You really do amuse me, Phoenix. It's a shame you must die. We could have worked really well together."

Cinder looked Yang up and down again.

Pale, slender fingers curled into tree trunk, Weiss ripping off a piece of bark from the sheer ferocity of her grip.

How dare she. How dare she act so informal with _her_ Yang! Well, Yang technically didn't belong to anyone but herself, but Weiss liked to believe she had more of a connection with the blonde than Cinder ever did. Yet here the harlot was, looking at _her_ rogue like _that_.

Weiss' blood boiled, her eyes trying to bore holes into the older woman unsuccessfully.

"Maybe," Yang replied casually, drawing Weiss' gaze back to her. "But I have a partner already."

Looking back over her shoulder, the moment their gazes met, Yang winked at Weiss, flashing her a quick smile before she turned back to face Cinder again.

"So no thanks. I'm good."

Anger evaporated in an instant, Weiss' cheeks going flush. Raising her free hand to her chest, Weiss clutched at the material directly over her heart, nearly forgetting how to breathe. Her heart was pounding under her fingertips.

All because of a smile.

Well, not just any smile. Yang's smile.

"_Foolish girl,"_ Cinder chided, snapping Weiss out of her thoughts. "You could be so much more and yet you waste your potential."

Weiss recoiled the moment Cinder's dark gaze fell upon her. Gritting her teeth, shaking, she forced herself to stand her ground. Her Aura flared in response to the sudden, unspoken threat, ice spreading outwards from her fingers across the trunk of the tree she used for cover.

"As for you-"

"Hey!" Yang exclaimed, moving to stand in the middle of Cinder's and Weiss' line of sight. "Leave her alone! I'm the one you want!"

The smirk stretching across Cinder's face made Weiss' stomach drop.

"Not anymore," the Royal Advisor said, walking to her right to see past the blonde. The moment the fire wielder's line of sight was clear again, amber coloured eyes immediately locked onto Weiss. Weiss couldn't stop herself from taking a trembling step backwards this time.

"I've changed my mind," Cinder stated, licking her lips hungrily. Small wisps of red flames danced in her hands, Cinder fondling Weiss with her eyes.

"Breaking the Princess will be so much more… _entertaining_…"

A teeth baring smile.

"Isn't that right, _Weissy?_"

Terror.

Pure and absolute terror.

Weiss couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. All there was, was panic and horror and terror. Terror and eyes of liquid flames.

Oh gods, she was going to die.

"Over my dead body!"

That shout snapped Weiss out of her stupor, Weiss gasping as her entire body shook, a cold sweat covering her skin. Turning towards the movement in her peripherals, Weiss caught sight of Yang again just as the rogue wrenched her arms from behind her back and hurtled the Dust stones at her opponent. Acting on instinct, Cinder raised her hand, red flames shooting from it to blast the nearly black projectiles flipping in the air towards her. Realizing what was about to happen, Weiss spun around as fast as she could, ducking behind her tree again, hands clasped over her ears, her eyes squeezed shut. Not even a split second later, the first explosion sounded.

Even with her hands covering her ears, the boom was loud. Once the first one went off, there was nothing to stop the rest of them from following. One after another, the remaining fire Dust stones exploded, sometimes two or three at a time, leaving her ears almost ringing, blasts of sharp red light piercing through her closed eyelids.

Somewhere in the midst of all that noise, Weiss could have sworn she heard a shriek, most likely Cinder's, but it was hard to tell. Despite not hearing much aside from the multiple blasts going off, Weiss most definitely heard the cut off yelp after the last exploding Dust stone, followed by a very familiar roar. Scrambling around the edge of her cover, Weiss' gaze locked onto the first movement she spotted. What she saw left her breathless.

There, in the middle of the residual smoke left over from the exploding Dust stones was Yang, the rogue already hammering away at the Royal Advisor known as Lady Cinder Fall.

Staggering the dazed and disoriented woman with a left cross to the face, Yang quickly followed up that hit with a right uppercut, launching Cinder into the air. Wasting no time and lunging after her opponent, Ember Celica lit up for the last time as Yang let loose a torrent of fiery punches.

A left cross to the chest, then a right, then another left, before a flaming uppercut smashed Cinder in the face again. A left jab to the Royal Advisor's stomach sent the other Aura user flipping backwards head over heels in the air, Yang trailing a split second behind her. Before Cinder's body could perform another complete aerial rotation, in came a fiery backhand to the face, then an elbow to the jaw. Right and left crosses followed in quick succession after that, Cinder's stomach, chest, and face taking the brunt of that assault. A right jab to the solar plexus sent the older woman smashing through a total of three trees before she was stopped dead by the fourth, a good twenty feet away.

Weiss watched with bated breath as Cinder's limp body peeled out of the cratered tree and crumpled to the ground in an unmoving heap. Only then did the fires on Yang's fists finally fizzle out, the rogue hunching over, breathing hard.

It was over.

"Yang!"

Weiss charged at the blonde as fast as her wobbling legs would allow. It took all of five seconds and just over a dozen steps to reach her companion, but to Weiss, it might have well been eternity. The moment she was in range (that being arms reach), Weiss tackled Yang, the rogue in the midst of turning towards her.

"Hey Wei- Ack!"

The two of them stumbled around, nearly toppling twice as they staggered, but somehow managed to remain upright. And entangled. For her part, Weiss squeezed the ever present life out of Yang (not really), and clung to the blonde as if letting go would be the end of the world as they knew it. Weiss was being over dramatic she knew, but with the adrenaline of the moment finally wearing off, now there was only fear and panic and _Oh gods! If Yang hadn't stopped Cinder, then-_

"Shhh…" came a soft murmur in her ear. Weiss immediately tensed at that sound but soon found herself relaxing when a warm, calloused hand rubbed her back.

"I got you, Weiss," Yang whispered, wrapping her arms around her. "It's over. We're fine. Shhh…"

Weiss buried her face in Yang's shoulder, clutching desperately at the back of the rogue's shirt, trembling.

"I was so scared…" Weiss managed on a shaky breath.

Yang held her tighter, burying her nose in Weiss' hair. "I know," the blonde said quietly. "Me too. But it's all over now. And now, we can go home."

Weiss closed her eyes, inhaling deeply.

Home.

For the longest time, Weiss didn't have a home. Not since her mother died. While she still had a roof over her head and food to eat and clothes to wear, the White Castle was not her home. It had turned into a prison the moment her mother passed, her father, the only other family she had ever known, changing because of his wife's death, and not for the better. Home was long gone and Weiss was alone.

But not anymore.

"Yang, I…"

Pulling back from the rogue sniffling, her eyes stinging with tears, Weiss smiled at the blonde.

"I-"

Movement behind Yang had Weiss' breath catching in her throat, the ex-heiress going rigid as she stared wide-eyed over her companion's shoulder.

"Weiss-"

"_**You…"**_

Yang spun around, Weiss moving with her, to face the source of that sound.

"Impossible…" the blonde murmured, Yang's eyes wide with disbelief.

"_**How dare you…"**_ Cinder rasped, her scorched and torn outfit still smoking. The King's Royal Advisor shook badly as she pushed herself up to her hands and knees. Her head was bowed, her dishevelled and matted hair acting as a curtain to her face.

Weiss pressed against Yang's form, terrified.

"_**HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME!"**_

Howling like a creature Weiss had never heard before, the woman known as Cinder Fall lurched upright on her knees, her entire body writhing with crimson flames. At the sight of her bruised, bloodied, and half burned face, Weiss' hand clamped down on her mouth, bile rising in her throat.

"_**HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO MY FACE!"**_

Slamming her palms together, Cinder unleashed a serpent-like stream of red flames at Yang and Weiss, the fire writhing and rolling in the air as if alive. Weiss had little time to blink before she was tackled to the ground, Yang on top of her, the flames blasting by them overhead. Even with Yang's body covering her, the heat was immense, Weiss sweating instantly as her body tried to compensate for the sudden rise in temperature.

"_**I WILL DESTROY YOU!"**_

Weiss was yanked to her feet just barely a second after the crimson fire dissipated, Yang half carrying her, half dragging her behind the closest tree to them. Trees off to their left quickly exploded into flaming splinters, Weiss cowering away from them, her head in her arms. A second later, she was cradled in Yang's embrace, the trees on their right suffering the same fate, the rogue using her body to protect Weiss from the scattering debris.

"Weiss! We're going to make a run for it!" Yang shouted in between exploding trees.

Weiss pulled back from Yang just enough to see her face. "But-"

Another tree shattered to their left, Weiss yelping as burning chunks of bark and leaves peppered her like rain. Yang hissed next to her, the blonde waving her arm gingerly, dislodging the chunks of smouldering wood which left minor marks on her bare skin.

"We have to run now Weiss!" Yang exclaimed, starting to push her towards some direction or another. "My Aura is almost gone and-"

"_**YOU!"**_

Weiss spun around in horror only to watch as Yang was tossed aside rag doll style, a wave of crimson flames sending the rogue hurtling into one of the few remaining intact trees in the vicinity.

"Yang!"

Weiss flinched at the awful thud sound her companion made as Yang dented the tree trunk, the rogue soon slumping down to the ground, limp.

"Ya-"

A scorching hot hand grabbed her by the throat, Weiss screaming and sputtering as the skin of her neck sizzled and burned. What little breath she had in her lungs was forced out violently the moment her head and back slammed into the tree behind her.

"_**THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"**_ Cinder shrieked, the older woman squeezing Weiss' throat with everything she had. _**"IF YOU WERE NEVER BORN-"**_

Weiss scrabbled at the hand around her neck, her eyes bulging. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as darkness encroached on her vision, her strength rapidly vanishing from her quickly weakening body. Tears streamed down her cheeks in rivers, carving lines through the grime which had collected on her skin. She was burning from the outside in, and she couldn't breathe. Her Aura flared, desperately trying to combat the scorching flames consuming her pale flesh. In the end however, all Weiss' Aura could do was keep her from instantly combusting.

"_**IF YOU WERE NEVER BORN, THIS WOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED!"**_

Pain splintered up and down Weiss' back, neck and head, Cinder slamming her back first into the tree again and again. Unable to cry out, all her body could do was writhe, her feet kicking helplessly at air a foot and a half off the ground. Weiss' nails scratched at any bit of flesh she could see, but Cinder's grip was unrelenting and unforgiving, the psychotic woman only crushing her throat harder as time went on. Soon, Weiss' arms fell limp to her sides, her strength no more, the remainder of her vision going black.

_Ba dum. Ba dum. Ba dum. Ba dum. Ba dum…_

She could feel it. The slowing of her heart, the organ struggling in her chest as she had been deprived of oxygen for so long.

_Ba dum… Ba dum… Ba dum… Ba dum…_

Cinder's crazed screechings faded away into nothingness, the rest of the sounds around her following suit. There was no more crackling from the small fires left in the wake of Cinder's flames. There was no more creaking wood from Weiss being smashed against a tree over and over again. There was no more crinkling of leaves as they swayed in the smoke filled wind. Now there was only the dying beat of her heart as Weiss tumbled into darkness.

_Ba dum... ... ... Ba dum... ... ... Ba dum... ... ...  
><em>

This was it. This was the end. She was going to die out here, at the hands of the worst possible person she had ever known, and no one would know the truth.

_Ba dum... ... ... ... ... ... Ba dum... ... ... ... ... ...  
><em>

And Yang… Yang would die, all because of h-

"_GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF HER!"_

Weiss hit the ground screaming, all of the pent up pain and agony and suffering experienced just prior finally being released in a single moment of rawness. Suddenly able to breathe again, Weiss sputtered and choked and cried, her body shuddering and spasming as feeling came back to her oxygen starved limbs. Her throat burned, every breath she took was a rasping wheeze, but she could breathe.

She was alive.

The pounding of flesh.

"_Don't!__"_

A shriek, cut off by another thump of flesh hitting flesh.

Weiss blearily opened her eyes the moment she was strong enough, her vision first met with dots of white. Soon the Emerald Forest and everything in it came into focus, Weiss finding herself sprawled on the ground, on her stomach, loose strands of platinum white hair surrounding her like a halo. Less than ten feet away from her, directly in line with her vision, was Yang, the rogue straddling Cinder's stomach, laying down a whamming punch after whamming punch on the older woman's face.

"_Don't…"_

A cheek fracturing right cross.

"_You…"_

A lip splitting backhand.

"_Ever…"_

A nose breaking fist.

"_Touch…"_

Another smash to the face.

"_Her…"_

A right, left cross combo.

"Aga-Hrk!"

Weiss' heart stopped the moment Yang froze, the rogue's bloodied left fist immobile in the air next to her head. The blonde's mouth was open, her eyes wide as her gaze slowly drifted downwards to her left shoulder. With her breathing coming out in shallow rasps, Weiss found herself following Yang's gaze only for the breath to get stuck in her throat again.

"I-It was y-you…?" Yang trembled, the blonde nearly whimpering. "It w-was you... a-all along…"

There, embedded in the rogue's shoulder all the way up to the hilt, was a long dagger made of onyx. Half covered by Cinder's tight grip was what looked to be an imprint of flames embossed on its handle.

"Ya… ng…" Weiss croaked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"You… You were the one…" Yang murmured, breathing heavily. A noticeable sheet of sweat could be seen on her skin, the blonde's face going sickly pale.

Cinder cackled hysterically, her grip bone white around the handle of the dagger as she gurgled.

"You…" Yang repeated, her fist still hovering in the air, trembling.

Weiss almost passed out as she struggled to her hands and knees, a hand immediately clamping over her mouth as a wave of nausea suddenly struck her. "Y… a…-"

"_YOU MONSTER!"_

Weiss turned her face away, just as a loud, wet crunch filled the air. Soon everything fell silent again, save for Yang's harsh breaths and the crackling of the scattered, smaller fires all around them. Taking an extra few seconds to let the worst of her nauseousness pass, Weiss eventually raised her head towards the pair of fire wielders again, to find Yang wobbly getting to her feet. The onyx dagger was still lodged in the rogue's shoulder.

"H-Hey Weissssyyyy…"

Weiss' gaze darted from the black dagger to weary, exhausted lavender coloured eyes.

"Ssssorry… about t-that…" the blonde mumbled. Yang swayed dangerously as she trudged towards Weiss, loose fists at her sides dripping red. A thin smile stretched across the rogue's face.

"Didn't mean for ya to-"

Yang's eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed forwards.

Weiss screamed.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**__ As mentioned in the previous chapter, the brawl between Cinder and Yang is based on Ruby's initial introduction to Cinder in Volume 1, Chapter 1 as well as Yang's brief fight with the Ursas in initiation, also in Volume 1. As well, the choreography for this battle sequence was decided way before Volume 2, Chapter 7, and hence why Cinder's fighting style is different here as compared to the show._

_Again, some of you may consider Cinder to be OoC in this story. Unfortunately, that can not be helped. My characterization her of Cinder Fall is based on what was seen of her in RWBY Volume 1. I won't be incorporating anything of her character from Volume 2 to keep consistent with the story._


	16. The Royal Test

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And another chapter is up! This was a tough one to write. While the ideas were there, the words just weren't coming out. __I don't know if it's burnout or writer's block or what, but this chapter is definitely not as polished as I would have liked. It probably doesn't flow like it should either. Oh well. I did what I could. Hopefully it's a somewhat enjoyable read nonetheless. _

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 16: The Royal Test<span> ~ ***

She was crying. And screaming. And yelling.

At least she was trying to.

Screaming and yelling that is.

Yet no matter how hard she tried, all that escaped Weiss' lips were throaty squeaks and ragged coughs.

"Ya…ng…!"

Trembling hands shook the limp blonde in her grasp, even now Weiss so utterly baffled as to how she closed the distance between them. One moment she was staring wide eyed as Yang collapsed forward. In the next, she was catching the blonde before the rogue could hit the ground, a glimmer of white dissipating from beneath her feet. With tears running down her face like rivers, Weiss cradled the rogue's head in her arms. Yang barely moved in her grasp, the brawler's wheezing breaths the only indication she was still alive.

"Ya-"

A violent coughing fit struck Weiss, the former princess' frame shaking as she heaved and gasped for breath. Smoke was quickly filling the air around them, the small fires scattered across the area scorching grass and bark black. After sputtering for what felt like an eternity, Weiss finally managed to suck in a raspy breath, her chest aching from the effort.

"Ngh…"

Blue eyes darted downwards at that sound, Weiss nearly fainting in relief when she saw Yang's eyebrow twitch. Holding her breath for a few seconds, Weiss watched as the rogue's head turned to the left limply, Yang's forehead creasing a bit as she inhaled a coughing breath. Remembering to breathe, Weiss quickly scanned the area for an escape route. She nearly lost it when she saw all of the vegetation on their left, right, and front was ablaze with flames. Only a small section of land at their backs was not on fire.

Yet.

If Weiss didn't act fast, they were going to get boxed in and burn to death.

Weiss gritted her teeth.

That was not going happen!

Scrounging up what little strength she had left, Weiss slid her arms under her unconscious companion and hefted Yang up from the back by her armpits. Yang groaned when she did that, Weiss quietly murmuring apologies for undoubtedly pulling on the blonde's injury, that awful onyx dagger still embedded in the rogue's shoulder. As much as she wanted to, even Weiss knew better than to yank the blade from Yang's shoulder. Only a fool would do such things without considering the repercussions, ones which could undoubtedly make things worse, or in this case, quite possible kill the rogue.

Weiss struggled under Yang's weight, the ex-heiress huffing audibly from the strain. Unlike Weiss, who was more skin and bones than anything else, Yang was mostly muscle. That made the brawler quite solid weight-wise, making things particularly difficult for Weiss, especially in her weakened state. Gritting her teeth and already shaking from exertion, Weiss hunkered down the best she could, making the slow and agonizing drag backwards towards the rapidly closing exit on her knees. But before she could even make it half as far, the ground suddenly disappeared below them and blackness swallowed them whole.

* * *

><p>A splash.<p>

Blue eyes opened groggily, Weiss blinking once before closing her eyes again. Exhausted and aching everywhere, she was in no mood to do anything other than to lie here on her stomach, wherever here was, as if dead. If it were possible, she would gladly sleep for the next hundred years or so, but even Weiss knew that was pushing it. At the sound of squeak a few seconds later, Weiss scrunched her nose, the former heiress grumbling something unintelligible before falling silent once again.

A poke to the cheek.

Blearily opening her eyes again, Weiss ever so ready to yell at the damn thing disrupting her beauty sleep, all thoughts of shouting were quickly forgotten when the first thing her blurred vision made out was brown.

Brown eyes and two long, brown furry ears to be precise.

Weiss stared.

Brown eyes stared back.

Weiss blinked.

Brown eyes blinked back.

Weiss blinked again.

Brown ears drooped forward an inch, brown eyes blinking at Weiss again.

Weiss, now finally cognisant enough to realize there was something, or rather someone, staring back at her with only inches of space between their faces, jolted backwards with a gasp. Startled by her reaction, the person immediately dashed off in a blur of brown and yellow, disappearing into the trees nearby before Weiss could make heads or tails of what just happened. With adrenaline spiking through her system, Weiss clumsily pushed herself upright, hastily rubbing her eyes as she scanned the immediate area.

Water.

That was the first thing her gaze landed on.

It was a river, _the_ river they had been following all this time since getting lost in this cursed forest. Weiss sat within arm's reach of it. On the opposite side of the river were trees, lots of them, the vegetation spanning the entire length of the water's edge as far as the eye could see. It was a magnificent sight, one Weiss would have marvelled at had her mind not been going in circles about how she knew this fact. That and how she got here. The last thing she remembered was being surrounded by fire, Yang hanging limply from-

Weiss went rigid.

Yang!

Panic squeezed Weiss like a vice, her momentary bliss quickly morphing into suffocating terror.

Cinder showing up.

Being attacked.

Yang getting stabbed.

Everything came back to her like a flash flood.

Twisting her head this way and that, it took only seconds for Weiss to catch sight of blonde hair and pale skin. Ten feet behind her and to the right was Yang, the rogue lying flat on her back, her face tilted away from Weiss. Scurrying over to the downed rogue terrified out of her mind, the ex-heiress felt none of the scratches which quickly accumulated on her hands and knees in her mad scramble.

"Ya… ng…!" Weiss rasped, closing the distance between them in seconds.

Reaching out to Yang, Weiss' hand came within an inch of the rogue before she pulled it back. While she knew some basic first aid (all thanks to the rogue), Weiss hadn't the foggiest idea of what she should be doing right now. She was not a healer, nor were the healing arts ever something taught to the ex-princess. So, after internally debating with herself for the better part of a minute, Weiss chose to follow her instincts and rested her head down on the rogue's chest.

Yang was warm. Unusually so, and not because of her Aura. Sweat covered the brawler's bare flesh like a second skin, Yang's heart beating erratically under Weiss' ear. In spite of the heat rolling off of brawler, Yang shivered continually, shallow breaths rolling off of her lips.

A groan.

Weiss' head shot up from the rogue's chest.

"Y-Yang…?" Weiss squeaked, her voice scratchy but understandable.

"… Wei-"

Yang coughed violently, Weiss doing what she could to ignore the pained wheezes as the worst of the spasms shook her companion. As Yang quieted down and the coughing fit passed, Weiss' gaze immediately went back to the flowing waters next to them, its pull almost hypnotic. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she made a decision. Parting briefly from the other girl, Weiss darted over to the chilling waters just a few feet away.

The moment she was close enough, Weiss' hand plunged into the rushing waters, her fingers coming together in a scoop. Ignoring the almost overwhelmingly pleasurable shiver which ran through her at that contact, Weiss withdrew her hand seconds later, the Schnee successor wasting no time in getting back to the half-conscious brawler's side. So caught up in satiating the blonde's thirst, Weiss failed to notice the soft blue tint the water had as her palm absorbed some of it.

Reaching under the rogue's head with her free hand, Weiss tilted Yang's head upwards. Bringing her water bearing hand to the blonde's lips, Weiss ever so carefully poured the water into Yang's mouth, quenching the rogue's parched throat.

"Thanks…" Yang murmured tiredly after the water ran out.

Turning back to the river again to get some more water, Weiss paused when a weak hand grasped her wrist and held it. Staring at the rogue's bloodied knuckles, the liquid red starting to dry and cake on Yang's bruised skin, tears burned at the back of Weiss' eyes, her lips pressed together in a fine line.

"Weiss..."

Had this been the first time she was meeting Yang, Weiss' reaction would have been to pull away, disgusted and faint. Blood was something vile, something impure, despite that very thing flowing through her veins. Blood was a sign of weakness, an utter abomination that had no place on Vale's only successor. Schnees did not bleed. Nor did they associate themselves with anyone who did. They were perfect, and perfection meant showing no weakness, nor accepting it.

That all changed, of course, when Weiss met a certain blonde headed brute by the name of Yang Xiao Long. While their time together hadn't exactly been lengthy, Weiss quickly learned it was alright to be weak. That is was alright to be flawed. That it was alright to just be herself. So now, rather than turn up her nose at the sight and smell of blood, Weiss instead rested her free hand on top of Yang's, her thumb caressing the blonde's battered skin.

"Are you… alright…?"

Weiss' eyes widened at those words, the ex-princess biting her lip in a feeble attempt to stop her tears. Yang was... She was-

"Did she… hurt… you…?" Yang asked. The blonde's voice was soft. But it was also warm.

Tears spilled down Weiss' cheeks, her body shuddering as she gritted her teeth. Squeezing her eyes shut, Weiss curled in on herself, desperately fighting back the sobs clawing their way up her throat. The hand on Yang's tightened, Weiss' hand shaking along with the rest of her.

"Weiss…? Are you-"

This was all her fault.

"I'm sorry!"

Weiss choked on tears, and coughs, the former heiress now openly weeping as the most recent events finally caught up to her.

"I'm so sorry!"

If it wasn't for her, Yang wouldn't be hurt. If it wasn't for her, Yang wouldn't be bleeding. If it wasn't for her-

"H-Hey…"

Eyes blurred with tears opened as Yang's free hand came up to cup Weiss' cheek. Forcing herself to meet her companion's gaze, Weiss found herself sobbing even harder when she caught sight of Yang soft expression. Lavender coloured eyes were opened half way, a noticeable smile seen on the blonde's lips even through Weiss' water distorted sight.

"I'm glad you're alright," Yang said, her smile widening.

For a moment, Weiss' breath caught in her throat. And then Weiss was bawling.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

With her forehead pressed to the rogue's uninjured shoulder, Weiss repeated her apology over and over and over again.

It hurt.

In spite of everything that had happened, in spite of everything they had been through, the only thing the blonde cared about was if Weiss was alright.

Gods! It hurt so much to know Yang's suffering was her fault.

"I'm so sorry..."

A trembling hand stroked her hair.

"It's not your fault, Weiss..." Yang told her, sounding somewhat breathless.

Weiss' only response to that was to cry harder.

She didn't deserve this.

She didn't deserve this comfort. She didn't deserve this kindness. Not after how she treated Yang before she really even knew the rogue. Not when all she did was cause the brawler pain.

"I'm sorry..." Weiss cried.

"Weiss, I – Ungh!"

Weiss' head snapped up. "Yang!"

Yang's eyes were squeezed shut with pain, the blonde's jaw clenched tightly. The hand still in Weiss' grip was balled into a white knuckled fist, Yang struggling to hold back a scream. After a moment of tension, the rogue went limp again, huffing for breath.

"Yang!" Weiss exclaimed again, her shaking hands holding the blonde's fist gingerly.

"It's alright," Yang said huffing. "I'm fine." More heavy breathing. Lavender coloured eyes opened weakly, glancing down at the dagger of onyx.

Weiss' jaw clenched when her gaze locked onto black dagger again.

This was punishment, wasn't it? For something that she did? Or maybe it was for something she didn't do. It was hard to know. Weiss was still so clueless about many things in life, in spite of the many things Yang had taught her already, and was continuing to teach her. Yet despite this being all her fault, Yang was the one paying for Weiss' mistakes.

"Yang..." she whimpered, her lip trembling as fresh tears left trails on her cheeks.

"It's alright," the blonde repeated, a thickness to her voice.

Weiss sniffled, swiping at her tears with her free hand.

"Everything's gonna be alright," the rogue repeated.

"But... But..."

Yang gave Weiss a lopsided smile, before reaching upwards with a shaking hand. Confused by the blonde's actions, Weiss quickly found herself staring in shock as the brawler grabbed the onyx dagger by the hilt and ripped it from her shoulder in a surprising bout of strength. In almost slow motion, Weiss watched as droplets of crimson flew through the air, some of them splashing down on her tattered jacket. Yang was screaming.

"Yang!" Weiss exclaimed, the initial shock of what the rogue did quickly replaced by action.

Without thinking, Weiss lurched at Yang, using both hands to clamp down on the blonde's now gushing wound. Yang whimpered when Weiss did that, the rogue nearly splitting her lip with her teeth as her chest heaved with suppressed screams. With screams of her own threatening to come out, it was a miracle Weiss was able to keep her hands steady enough to cover the blonde's wound all this time.

"Why-" Weiss demanded out of breath, her throat protesting from so much use. Blue eyes quickly glanced at the discarded dagger nearby, Weiss cringing when she noticed the blade's serrated edge. Her gaze immediately swivelled back to Yang

"Why did you do that!?" Weiss shrieked.

Crimson was seeping through her fingers, liquid life turning the remnants of Yang's shirt a dark red under Weiss' hands. Ignoring the sickening feeling clambering its way up from her stomach, Weiss gritted her teeth as she stared back at her pale companion.

"Had too..." Yang said huffing, the rogue no having the energy to scream. Lavender coloured eyes were slowly drooping shut.

"You had to?!" Weiss repeated, the former heiress nearly hysterical at this point. "You had to?! What in the world made you think-"

"Poison..." Yang whispered.

All of the colour drained out of Weiss' face.

"W-What...?"

Yang sucked in a hollow breath, blinking lethargically. A defeated smile stretched across her lips, one which hurt Weiss more than any dagger to the back could.

"The moment it cut... I knew..." the rogue began, her voice soft. "But I didn't care."

Weiss' heart pounded loudly in her chest as the blonde spoke, her hands trembling against Yang's bleeding shoulder.

"I was so angry," Yang said, her free hand shaking as it raised to lightly touch Weiss' neck.

Weiss flinched slightly, having not expected that, but soon leaned towards her companion allowing for Yang's fingertips to ghost across her raw skin. She shuddered under that gentle touch.

"She hurt you." Yang growled, her eyes narrowing at the red mark on Weiss' neck. "So I hurt her back!"

Weiss couldn't but smile at that comment, the former princess looking fondly at the rogue. That was such a Yang thing to do, Weiss knowing this in spite of only knowing her companion for a few weeks. As aloof as Yang always appeared to be upon first glance, she really did care. And mess with things the blonde cared about (especially her hair), well, that would be asking for trouble. And not the nice kind.

Yang's arm dropped to her side again.

"But I messed up," Yang said, clearly exhausted. The blonde's gaze dropped down to stare at the liquid red seeping through Weiss' fingers.

"Yang-" Weiss started.

"She got me real good, Weiss," Yang said with a flat chuckle.

Tears renewed in the corners of Weiss' eyes when Yang's gaze raised to meet hers.

"Sorry Princess."

Weiss shook her head, as if doing so would make the rogue's words any less true.

"Don't," Weiss said, her voice trembling. Her jaw tensed as she forced herself to smile back. "You have nothing to apologize for-"

"Weiss."

Weiss really hated how Yang was looking at her right now. It was as if the blonde had already given up and pitied Weiss for not doing the same.

"You and I both know that's not what I'm apologizing for."

"N-No..." Weiss stuttered. "It's just a s-scratch, Yang. Y-You're going to be fine."

Whether Weiss was trying to convince the rogue or herself of that was hard to say.

Maybe the both of them.

"I-It's nothing," Weiss rambled on, continuing to ignore the sticky red squelching under her palms as she breathed. "Y-You'll see. Give it time and your Aura will-"

"It won't."

Weiss' gaze snapped back up to Yang's face. "Pardon?"

Yang swallowed thickly, her eyes closing for a moment as she sighed. Upon opening her eyes again, the rogue looked at Weiss dead in the eye.

"I have no Aura left."

Weiss' stomach dropped.

"W-What...?"

Weiss felt dizzy.

"But how can…" she started. "S-Surely Cinder didn't-"

"It wasn't her," Yang said, cutting Weiss off. The rogue's gaze did not waver. "It was you."

Weiss' heart skipped a beat.

"What?" she repeated like a parrot.

Yang pursed her lips tightly, looking away for a moment.

"I was scared," the blonde admitted. After a few seconds, Yang turned back to look at Weiss.

"I was so scared. When you were hurt before..." A swallow. "I almost... lost you... If your Aura hadn't... If you had died instead..."

"Yang..." Weiss said, fresh tears spilling over.

"I can't..." the rogue continued, tears rolling down her cheeks. Yang shook her head.

"I can't... go through that again... Not again... So I gave you mine."

A hand came up and held onto Weiss' wrist, Yang squeezing it gently.

"Whenever you slept. Whenever I held your hand. Even after your Aura was freed, I had to be sure. So I gave you all of mine."

Weiss stared at her companion in disbelief.

Now it all made sense.

Yang's nearly chronic exhaustion since the bounty hunter fight. Yang's unusually slow healing rate. Yang's lacklustre brawl against Cinder. All this time, Weiss attributed those things to... well, being human. As good as the rogue was, as strong the blonde's Aura was, Yang was not invincible. She was flawed like the rest of them. She got tired like the rest of them. She got hurt like the rest of them. And had this been any other situation, Weiss would have left that train of thought there, content in cursing human mortality.

But this was not any other situation. Yang was not here like this because fate threw her a bad hand. No, the brawler was here because of Weiss. Because Yang was selflessly giving Weiss all of her Aura to make sure Weiss was alright. That was why Weiss always awoke feeling warm in the mornings. That was why she always felt safe in Yang's presence. That was why she always felt... at home... with the blonde. Because Yang was sharing her soul with Weiss. And Weiss never knew.

Until now.

"Y-Yang…" Weiss whimpered, tears flowing unhindered down her cheeks. She hunched forward, poorly stifling her tears, Weiss struggling to maintain pressure on Yang's bleeding shoulder.

Gods! Why was it suddenly so hard to breathe!?

"Hey…" Yang murmured, bringing up her uninjured hand to stroke Weiss' hair. Weiss initially flinched away from the touch, but soon found herself leaning into it.

"Hey now," the rogue repeated, calloused fingers running through Weiss' platinum strands. "Stop that. It's going to be alright. You're going to be alright."

How Yang could be so optimistic given the situation was beyond Weiss. Things were looking quite bleak as it was, yet the blonde just kept on smiling at her. A tender and kind smile.

Weiss shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she hung her head.

"But w-what about y-you?" she mewled.

The hand in Weiss' hair froze for a moment, before it slid downwards to cup Weiss' tear stained and grime covered cheek.

"Don't worry about me," Yang said softly, stroking the skin of Weiss' cheek with her thumb. "You only need to worry about you."

"But-"

"Weiss, listen to me."

Weiss immediately opened her mouth to protest, but stopped herself. Something in the rogue's tone forced her pause, the look in Yang's eyes making her stomach somersault uncomfortably. There was an air of finality in that tone, one which sent chills down Weiss' back.

"I have done a lot of things I regret," Yang began, the blonde lowering her gaze for a moment. "Burning down taverns, smashing the Knight Captain across the kisser…"

Through her tears, Weiss raised her eyebrow. While having not expected that second one, it wasn't all that hard imagining the brawler doing such a thing. In fact, had Yang not done something like, at least once in her lifetime, then Weiss would have been surprised.

Yang sighed. "… But most of all, letting good people down..." the rogue trailed off.

"But you…"

Lavender coloured eyes rose to meet watery azure ones.

"I will never regret coming after you."

"Yang..." Weiss said softly, her heart fluttering unexpectedly in her chest.

"Don't get me wrong," Yang continued, a familiar yet cheeky grin stretching across the blonde's tired face. "When I first met you, I thought you were the most arrogant, naïve, and annoying person in the entire world."

"Hey!"

"Heck! If you were to suddenly travel halfway around the world, that still wouldn't have been far enough away from me."

"W-What…" Weiss exclaimed, in complete shock. "H-How dare... t-the nerve of... Hmpf!"

Unable to smack the blonde as her hands were otherwise occupied, Weiss turned her head away and scowled instead.

A chuckle bubbled from the brawler's lips, Weiss harrumphing in response.

"But you were also innocent, and genuine, and accepting."

That line had Weiss reluctantly turning back to the face Yang, the rogue's expression now one of humbled gratitude. The scowl on her face quickly lost its bite.

"You stuck with me," Yang marvelled. "Through a lot… And that means more to me than you could ever know."

A breath hitched in the brawler's throat at that comment, Yang swallowing thickly as tears pooled in the corner of her eyes.

"You're... You're important to me, Weiss. I don't... I don't..."

"Yang!" Weiss shouted, her heart nearly stopping when the rogue's eyes fluttered shut, the hand on her cheek dropping limply to the ground.

"No, no, no, no, no! Don't close your eyes Yang! You can't close your eyes!"

Terror like never before seized Weiss' heart, the former princess relinquishing her grasp on Yang's bleeding shoulder in favour of holding the rogue's face. Blood smeared across the blonde's cheeks as Weiss did that, that awful colour so out of place on Yang's skin. But that was nothing compared to the blackening veins creeping up the brawler's neck from her injured shoulder.

"Yang, don't do this to me," Weiss pleaded, shaking her limp companion. "Please, just open your eyes. For me?"

Yang moaned but otherwise remained quiet.

"Yang!"

A blast of frigid air shot through the area, everything within a ten foot radius frosting over. Much to Weiss' relief, Yang jolted when that happened, the rogue's eyes snapping open as she gasped for breath.

"W-Weiiissss?" Yang sputtered, her uninjured hand weakly grasping at Weiss' arm. The blonde's gaze was unfocused and glassy.

"Thank the gods!" Weiss exclaimed, breathing in relief. She hugged Yang's head to her chest. "I thought you had... that you had..."

"W-Whaazzz goin' on?"

Feeling something warm and wet seeping through her jacket arm, Weiss' eyes locked onto the rogue's bleeding shoulder again, liquid red staining her sleeve crimson. Her breaths came out heavy as she stared at the crimson patch on her jacket grow bigger and bigger and bigger.

"Weiisss?" Yang murmured again, her eyes once again dropping dangerously.

Tearing her eyes from her jacket sleeve, Weiss found herself at a loss for words as she looked up at Yang again. What was going to happen now? After getting this far, Weiss still didn't have the slightest clue as to where they were. Add the fact that Yang was also in desperate need of a healer, things were looking near impossible happy ending wise. They couldn't stay here, Weiss knew that much. But as to where to go from here and how to-

"Schneeow...flake...?"

And just like that, Yang dispelled any and all doubts Weiss had with nothing but a nickname. A stupid, moronic, awful yet endearing, heartwarming and perfect nickname. Sniffling, Weiss almost laughed as she wiped away the tears with the back of her hand.

"I'm getting you out of here Yang," Weiss said, pulling her jacket off of her shoulders. "That's what happening."

* * *

><p><em>~ Emerald Forest. Some time later. ~<em>

"Damn it!"

Weiss' body shook from exertion, tears rolling down her soot covered cheeks as she lay sobbing on the ground. They'd been trudging along for a long time now, far enough to pass the flaming section of forest now at their backs, but that still wasn't far enough away for Weiss. Had Yang been the one leading this charge, they would have been much further along by now. They would have been beyond the reach of the smoke and ash still threatening to suffocate them, the rogue not anywhere near death's door, and definitely not lying next to Weiss, still bleeding out. But as it was, it was not Yang pushing things forward, it was Weiss. And Yang was slowly fading away next to her, and there was not a damn thing Weiss could do to stop it.

"Damn it all!"

With shaking arms, Weiss pushed herself to her hands and knees, the former princess roughly swiping at the tears rolling down her cheeks. Taking a moment to gather her breath, Weiss turned to her still downed companion, Yang tiredly looking up at her with half hooded eyes and a weak smile.

"S'Okay, Weiiissss…" the blonde slurred, making Weiss shake her head. "S'Okay…"

Weiss gritted her teeth, fighting against her tears.

"Weiiisss-"

"No!" Weiss shouted in a half sob, a half choking breath. "This is not how it's supposed to happen!"

The rogue pursed her lips together, Weiss already knowing what the blonde was thinking.

"Don't even think about that!" Weiss growled, her entire form shaking. "I am _NOT_ leaving you here while I run away like a coward! So stop saying that!"

Ignoring the sound of protest the rogue made, Weiss hastily slung the blonde's arm over her shoulders again, heaving Yang up with all of her might. This time she carried the brawler almost completely on her back, Weiss no longer having the strength to help Yang walk alongside her. Just barely able to stand, Weiss stomped forward a few steps, managing to walk fifteen feet before she and Yang tumbled down a steep decline. So caught up in watching her weakening companion, Weiss failed to notice the sudden dip in the landscape, leading to their inevitable fall. Battered, bruised and more exhausted than before, Weiss struggled to push past her pain to stand again.

Had something like this happened while she was still at the White Castle, Weiss would have given up a long time ago. Weiss would have laid her head down, closed her eyes and just succumbed. But she didn't. Not here. Not now. Not when Yang was counting on her. So Weiss heaved herself up on wobbling legs through pure force of will and turned towards the downed rogue next to her. Then Weiss collapsed to her hands and knees again barely five seconds later, the effort to stand sadly just too much for the exhausted ex-heiress at this point.

"Why…?" Weiss whimpered, a hand covering her eyes, tears squeezing through. "Why is this happening to me? Am I really no good?"

A trembling touch on her cheek.

Weiss jolted at that sensation, her hand immediately pulling clear of her face only to be enveloped by one bigger than her own.

"Don't sssay that," Yang said tiredly, her eyes nearly completely closed. "Yer perfect…" A thick swallow. "... teh wayz ye're…"

Yang smiled at her, making Weiss want to wail.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, Weiss once again cradling the blonde's head against her chest. Weeping cries burst free from Weiss' chest as her forehead touched Yang's. "I'm so sorry..."

Weiss repeated her apology over and over again, utter helplessness rooting her in her spot. Just about to apologize for the umpteenth time, Yang went slack in her arms, making Weiss' heart stop. She pulled back from the rogue enough to see the blonde's face.

"Yang?"

No response.

All of the feeling drained out of Weiss' body.

"Yang!" she exclaimed, shaking the form roughly in her grasp.

At the sound of a moan, Weiss breathed again, though her relief was short lived.

"So… tired…" Yang murmured, in barely a whisper.

"Yang no!" Weiss said, shaking the blonde again. "You can't sleep now! You can't! Don't leave me!"

Yet no matter how many times Weiss shook her, the rogue only mumbled inaudibly.

"Don't leave me all alone…"

Weiss hiccupped as she held the rogue, rocking the unconscious girl in her arms. Yang's makeshift bandage that was Weiss' rolled up jacket rubbed against her bare arms in that action, staining her arm red, but she ignored it.

"Please Yang," Weiss said, her voice trembling. "I don't know what to do without you..."

Tears dripped onto Yang's cheek, the rogue inhaling heavily underneath Weiss.

"_You do what you need to for survival," Phoenix said, rolling his eyes._

Weiss clutched at the blonde tighter, sniffling. "I kn-know. I know..." she said, memories of their first meeting playing in her mind. "B-But I'm n-not like you. I'm-"

"_Out here, you're no one special," Phoenix stated, giving Weiss a hard look. "No guards. No riches. And most definitely not Daddy's Little Girl."_

Weiss bit her lip. "I-I'm not l-like that anymore, Yang," she said to the out cold blonde. "I swear t-that I'm n-not. Please believe me!"

"_Prove it," Phoenix challenged, a glint of mischief in his eyes. _

A shuddering breath escaped Weiss' lips, the former princess swallowing nervously. "H-How?"

"_... if you want to eat, you'll prepare it on your own. Just like the rest of us Commoners as you so call us." _

"I have to leave you..." Weiss whispered to herself, only now realizing what she knew all along but didn't want to face. Or accept. "... not to run away, but to find help..."

"_Many things can't be learned from a book. Only experience gives you that."_

But could she really do that? All by herself? This would be the first time she would be on her own again, since leaving the White Castle weeks ago. Given what happened last time, it was safe to say Weiss had absolutely no confidence in her abilities when it came to survival.

"_... the first time is always a fluke," Phoenix said shrugging his shoulders, giving Weiss an unimpressed look. "Can you do it again, this time, without my help?"_

But Weiss wasn't the same person she was all those weeks ago, was she?

"_And you know this... how?" _

"Because of you," Weiss said, holding the rogue even tighter. "You saved me."

Blue eyes turned to steel.

"So let me now return the favor."

Pulling back slightly, Weiss scanned the area noting a bunch of things. At a lower incline, the smoke and heat from the spreading fires had no bearing here. Also, nearby, maybe some odd ten feet or so was a large, ancient tree with some of its roots exposed from soil degradation over the years. While the damage done was not so extensive that the tree would topple, it was enough to shelter an average adult human sitting down from the elements, the space also obscure enough to hide them mostly from sight. Unless you knew where to look that is. So with a great deal of effort, Weiss dragged her unconscious companion there and lay her amongst the tree's roots.

"I'll b-be back for y-you, Yang," Weiss said, her voice shaking. "I p-promise. So just hang on and wait for me. Okay?"

Leaning downwards, Weiss kissed Yang on the forehead, fresh tears in her eyes as she fought against the hesitation to stay.

"W-Wish me luck."

Knowing she wouldn't get a reply, Weiss took one final glance at the rogue before she turned around and ran. Even when all she wanted to do was turn around and return to Yang's side, she ran. Even when she tripped over above ground roots and was scratched by the underbrush, she ran. Even when she stumbled across a lone Boarbatusk, Weiss didn't back down, nor she did turn around. She ran.

Because she owed it to Yang.

Because she owed it to herself.

Because she had made a promise.

Consequences and repercussions be damned! Weiss Schnee always kept her promises.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **__Not quite happy with that ending but oh well. How do you all like that cliffhanger? Lol. Don't worry, things will get better. I promise. :)_

_For those of you wondering, the poison which struck Yang was the same kind as the one which hurt Weiss. Guess who the twins got it from? XD If the wound won't kill you, the poison will..._


	17. The Things We Love

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And another chapter is up! Still having a bit of writer's block it seems when it comes to writing, so this chapter is a bit rough around the edges. Also, this one is a little bit slower as compared to previous chapters, due to its heavy dialogue. Expect some minor OoCness because of the content of this chapter._

_**WARNING! **__T__here's some mild swearing in this chapter, but all in playful jest. :P_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong_ _to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 17: The Things We Love<span> ~ ***

_She was excited. _

"_Papa?"_

_Today was the day. _

_Today was the day Mama returned. _

_And she was so excited._

"_Papa?" she repeated. _

_The moment morning broke, the blanket was flung from her legs and her bare feet thumped against the carpet covered floors as she fled her room. Wearing nothing but a light blue, short sleeved nightie, she ran down the nearly empty hallways of the White Castle, briefly waving to the servants as she zipped past them for her parents' room._

"_Papa? What's wrong?"_

_It took only a few seconds to reach her parents' room, her own bedroom just a few doors down the wing. Upon reaching the massive double doors (massive for a six year old that is), she took a moment to straighten out her nightie, etiquette lessons having been drilled into she was old enough to walk and talk. She may not have been a princess yet, not in the acting and governing sense, but she still had to abide by the lessons of the upper court. Or so she was told._

"_Please Papa," she said, her stomach churning with growing dread. Tears started to pool in the corner of her eyes. "What's wrong?"_

_Deeming herself presentable after a few seconds, she wasted no time in pushing the wooden doors open just wide enough for her to enter and quickly scurried over to her parents' bed. It had been almost a week since she last saw her mother, the Queen having left to visit her sister in a neighbouring kingdom for her sister's birthday. But despite promising to return today, on her birthday, the Queen was not here. Instead, the King sat at the edge of his bed, his head in his hands._

"_Papa," she said again, this time daring to tug at the King's sleeve. _

_That action seemed to do the trick, the older man jolting for a second before his hands pulled back from his face. When that happened, she felt herself go numb, her eyes widening as she took in the tears running down her father's cheeks. Light blue eyes bordering on grey were puffy and red, the tears in her own eyes finally falling at the sight of the broken man before her. Very rarely did her father show this side of him, so to see it now, meant something really bad had happened. _

"_Papa," she said, the knot in her stomach tightening. She swallowed down the lump in her throat._

"_Where's Mama?" _

* * *

><p><em>~ Unknown Location. Early Afternoon. ~<em>

Lavender coloured eyes fluttered open for a moment before shutting again. Deeming the world too bright to be awake, Yang grumbled under her breath, moving to roll onto her side only to grunt in pain the moment she lifted her left arm.

"W-What...?" she croaked, opening her eyes again.

Blearily peering down at her body, Yang spied white bandages peeking out from under the sleeveless red shirt she was currently wearing. Paler than her own skin, the wrappings bound the entirety of her bare left shoulder all the way down to her elbow. Yang blinked.

What... the hell?

Furling her brow in confusion, Yang raised her right hand to poke at the dressing, only pausing when a flash of yellow floated down to the grey wool blanket covering her, where her right hand once rested.

"Huh...?" she muttered.

Quickly rubbing her eyes to rid herself of sleep's lingering haze, Yang grabbed the yellow blemish off the grey blanket and brought it up to her face.

It was a scarf.

Before she could discern anything further about the accessory, a soft whimper sounded next to her, immediately stealing her attention away. Hesitantly turning her gaze to the right, Yang couldn't but gasp when she spotted the person next to her.

"W-Weiss?" she choked out.

The scarf in Yang's hand slipped through her fingers, silent and forgotten.

"Y-You... You're…"

Sitting on a chair to the right of Yang's bed, former Princess Weiss Schnee slept soundly, her upper body draped across Yang's bed next to Yang's right arm. With her head resting on her crossed arms, Weiss slept facing Yang, her breaths coming out slow and steady. Unlike the last time Yang saw her, Weiss was now adorned in a bright pink, form fitting, long sleeved top. The ex-heiress' hair was also down, the silver tiara which usually held platinum white locks up in its side ponytail nowhere to be seen. A dark grey wool blanket was draped across Weiss' back and shoulders.

"You're... alright..." Yang sniffled, tears of relief and joy immediately pooling in the corners of her eyes. Raising her good hand to rest on Weiss' head, Yang gently ran her fingers through Weiss' unbound locks, utterly relishing the contact. So caught up in her slumbering companion, Yang failed to notice the creaking of the door opening.

"I don't believe it," a voice said, interrupting her thoughts.

Yang flinched in surprise.

"It actually worked."

Momentarily tearing her gaze away from Weiss, Yang watched as the approaching figure shut the door behind them and walked up to her bedside on her left. A long mane of red swished back and forth behind the person as they moved, Yang's eyes widening slightly when a fair hand touched her forehead. Emerald coloured eyes gazed briefly at Yang's hand, the one stroking Weiss' head, before raising to look at Yang in the eye.

"Pyr...rha...?" Yang said in bewilderment, her voice cracking from dryness.

Pyrrha smiled at her as she withdrew her hand from Yang's forehead, the redhead picking up the metal canteen from the side table and pressing it to Yang's lips, letting her drink.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Yang," the other girl said, Pyrrha ever so patient as Yang took her fill of water.

"Thanks," Yang murmured, once the water ran dry. Her hand never left Weiss' hair.

"You're welcome."

Setting the now empty canteen down on the small table next to the bed, Pyrrha took a seat on the chair positioned next to Yang's bedside on the left.

"You don't know how relieved I am to see you're awake."

Taking a moment to look around, Yang's eyes eventually came to rest on Pyrrha's seat. It was a simple, familiar piece of furniture, similar to the one Weiss currently sat on, one made of a dark brown wood with a cream coloured linen seat cushion. It matched the rest of the decor of the room, including the bed and side table, both of which were made from the same wood.

"Where are we?" Yang asked, completely clueless. It felt like she'd been her before, but for the life of her, Yang couldn't remember why.

Pyrrha smiled, a look of understanding in her eyes.

"You're in Mistral," the redhead explained. "In the Juniper Tavern. You've been here for over a week now."

"Oh," Yang commented, blinking in surprise. Of all the possible possibilities, she wasn't expecting that one.

"That's why this room looks so familiar," she trailed off, Yang glancing around the room again.

Pyrrha laughed lightly. "Well, considering this is your room whenever you stay here, I would certainly hope it looks familiar. Unless you're already at that age where you start to forget things?"

Yang narrowed her eyes at the smirk stretching across the other girl's lips.

"Ha ha, very funny."

"I'm just saying," Pyrrha said, in almost a sing song tone. "I think I may be seeing some grey on that head of yours."

Yang's eyes widened in surprise before a cheeky grin spread across her lips. Oh? That's how Pyrrha was going to be, was she? Well, two could play at that game.

"So..." Yang began, that irritating grin still on Pyrrha's face. "Jaune burn down the kitchen while I was away?"

Yang already knew the answer to that question, but she asked it anyways. It was sort of a running joke between them all, Jaune's supposed cooking skills which only ever ended in fire and charcoal. The smirk which Pyrrha originally sported quickly turned into a scowl, the redhead clearly not impressed by that change in topic.

"He's not that bad you know," Pyrrha stated, frowning.

Yang raised an eyebrow at the other girl.

Pyrrha lasted all of ten seconds before she crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. The redhead wore a similar crimson coloured top to Yang's, except hers was long sleeved.

"He's been banned from the kitchen until further notice," Pyrrha mumbled sourly, just loud enough for Yang to hear.

Yang hollered, or rather, she tried to. The moment she did however, pain shot through her bandaged shoulder making her clench her jaw to stifle a yelp. Her free hand clutched at her injury, Yang holding her breath as she fought against the agonizing spikes of pain in her shoulder.

"Yang!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "Breathe. Just breathe."

With her eyes squeezed shut, Yang did as she was told, slowly but surely releasing the breathe she held. Inhaling slowly, she winced as her shoulder throbbed from that simple action, the fingers of her free hand curling tighter around her bandaged limb.

"Easy now."

Breathing in slowly again, Yang's eyes opened just as her uninjured hand was peeled from her shoulder. Pyrrha was gentle as she massaged Yang's sore appendage, Yang quickly finding herself go slack under those ministrations. A relieved sigh escaped her lips as the last of the pain faded away, once tight muscles now relaxed and unwound.

"Better?" Pyrrha asked, pulling her hands back now that her task was done. Yang didn't miss the lingering touch at the end however, one that was light and wistful.

Yang smiled at the other girl, appreciative. "Yeah. Thanks, Pyrrha."

Silence fell between the pair as they looked at each other, one that was both familiar and comfortable. In the end it would be Yang who broke eye contact first, her gaze immediately going back to Weiss when familiarity turned to awkwardness. Surprising, the white haired girl still slept on, completely oblivious to the conversation going on next to her, Yang frowning slightly as she continued to watch the ex-heiress sleep. Weiss was always the lighter sleeper between the two of them, so much so, that just the leaves rustling in the wind was often enough to wake her unless she was cuddled up against Yang. So how was it she hadn't awakened by now?

"Don't worry," Pyrrha said, as if reading Yang's thoughts. "She won't be up for a while."

Something about Pyrrha's tone when she said that had Yang raising an eyebrow at her.

Apparently realizing how her words sounded, Pyrrha smiled hesitantly, the type of smile she had had in the past when the redhead did something she knew she shouldn't have. Immediately, Yang went into protective mode, something that hadn't happened for years.

"Pyrrha, what did you do?" she almost growled out.

Lavender coloured eyes tinted red, the temperature in the room rising a noticeable few degrees. Without even realizing, Yang's uninjured hand found Weiss' arm and held onto it.

Pyrrha's eyes widened a fraction before she bowed her head in apology.

"I'm sorry!" the other girl exclaimed, Pyrrha clutching at her cream coloured skirt, her eyes squeezed shut. "She just... she hadn't slept for days and looked so exhausted. So I slipped something into her tea earlier to help her sleep."

Yang stared at her friend quietly for a few seconds, the red in her gaze soon bleeding out.

"That's it?" Yang asked, after a minute of silence. "You drugged her tea so she could get some shut eye?"

Pyrrha dared a glance upwards. "Yes...?" she answered wearily.

Yang inwardly breathed in relief, any anger she had now completely gone. It was funny how quick she was to jump to Weiss' defense, even with someone she'd known for years. Weeks ago, she could have cared less what happened to the ex-princess. But now...

"Thanks Pyrrha," Yang said, smiling gratefully. "Thanks for caring for her when I could not."

Yang turned back to Weiss, looking at her fondly. Out of her line of sight, Pyrrha sat up straight again in her chair, relieved.

"It's no problem, Yang," Pyrrha said after a moment. "Really."

Yang couldn't but smile at those words, truly appreciative to have such an amazing friend like Pyrrha. Very rarely did she make friends in her line of work, and while the friendship she formed with the redhead (along with the rest of the Juniper Tavern team) happened more out of accident, never once did she take her friends for granted. Yang had already learned the hard way, many years ago, many times now, just how fragile and fickle life could be. If you didn't appreciate the things you had when you had them, the sorrow which resulted in having them taken away would be damning.

"So how did I get here exactly?" Yang asked after a moment, not yet meeting Pyrrha's gaze. Something about watching Weiss sleep was very calming for her.

The rustling of cloth.

"You don't remember?"

Yang looked back at Pyrrha with furled brows.

"Of course not," the other girl murmured, more to herself than to Yang. Emerald coloured eyes dropped to Pyrrha's lap. "You were delirious when you were first brought here."

Taking a deep breath, Pyrrha met Yang's gaze again. "What you do remember, Yang?"

Yang contemplated that question for a few seconds before she turned away. Without even meaning to, she was staring at Weiss again, her fingers settling in the former princess' hair once more.

"I remember..."

There was fire. Lots of fire.

And tears.

And the pain of a six year old child losing her mother. But that wasn't her memory, now was it?

Yang's thumb caressed Weiss' cheek.

"I remember... bits and pieces," Yang said after a minute and a half of silence. "Nothing solid."

"_I'll b-be back for y-you, Yang," a shaking voice said in the dark. "I p-promise. So just hang on and wait for me. Okay?"_

Yang turned back to Pyrrha. "So you gonna tell me what happened?"

Pyrrha sighed, running a hand through her bangs.

"You were barely alive when we found you," Pyrrha said, not meeting Yang's gaze. "Had we found you an hour later, it would have been too late."

Yang's eyes widened at that admission, her hand stilling in Weiss' hair as she let the weight of that statement sink in.

"Ren did everything he could for you," Pyrrha continued, her voice wavering. "Even resorting to his rare and exotic healing herbs. But even he could do so much. After that, all we could do was wait, and hope you'd recover."

Yang's gaze softened as Pyrrha's hands balled in her lap, her knuckles white. That was a bad habit of the other girl when she was stressed, Yang remembering a few times when Pyrrha ended up with bloody palms after her nails broke through skin.

"The likelihood that you would though, wasn't very good," Pyrrha said, her voice cracking at this point. She shook her head.

Yang frowned.

"I've seen a lot of things in my lifetime, Yang." A shaking breath. "But never have I ever seen a poison as bad as that."

Yang clenched her jaw, her lips pressed into a fine line. To hear this now... was hard. Pyrrha was always the stronger one between them, even after they went their separate ways when things didn't quite work out. To see her now, looking so broken, Yang couldn't but feel guilty about it. The look of despair in Pyrrha's eyes didn't belong there. Yet it was.

Because of Yang.

"Pyrrha. I-" Yang began. But Pyrrha wasn't finished yet.

"I watched you for days Yang!" Pyrrha exclaimed, the redhead knocking over her chair when she all but jumped to her feet in anger. "Days! I watched and waited, wondering the whole time if you'd ever wake up!"

"Pyrrha-" Yang tried again.

"Even if you did wake up," Pyrrha pressed on. "The likelihood that you'd remember your name, let alone who you were, was almost nothing! Do you know what it was like, knowing that it was my fault all of this happened!?"

Yang looked at Pyrrha sorrowfully as the redhead righted her chair and stormed over to the window. As much as she wanted to say something, anything to diffuse the situation, Yang didn't. She couldn't. Nothing she could possibly say now would be able to fix things. So she stared at the ceiling.

"She never gave up on you, you know."

Surprised, Yang looked back to her friend. Pyrrha was leaning against the window frame, her arms crossed over her chest as she glanced in Yang's direction. When their eyes met, Pyrrha looked away again, to the still oblivious third person in the room, before directing her gaze back outside.

"Even when everyone else was starting to lose hope, she never gave up on you."

Movement to her right had Yang focusing in that direction, shock registering first before a warm smile stretched across her lips. Despite still being very much asleep, Weiss apparently didn't like being neglected, the white haired girl having inched closer to Yang, her head now pressing firmly against Yang's still hand. A small pout was also on Weiss' lips, a furled brow making the ex-heiress' displeasure known.

Yang ran her fingers through Weiss' hair again, the warmth within blossoming as the former princess' features softened, that adorable smile now back on her face.

"She really cares for you," Pyrrha said, breaking Yang out of reverie.

Looking back to the redhead, Yang found Pyrrha staring wistfully at Weiss.

"The way she was looking at you, all this time..." Pyrrha reminisced. "It was the same way you looked at me when we were... well, you know."

Yang grimaced. "Pyrrha, I-"

"She made that for you," Pyrrha said, not giving Yang a chance to speak. Pyrrha walked up to Yang's bedside and sat down again. "For when you woke up."

Now within arms reach, Pyrrha picked up the forgotten scarf from the blanket and began smoothing it out. Watching as her friend did so, Yang couldn't but marvel at the accessory, now that she could see it in better detail.

One shade darker than her hair, making it more of an orange-yellow than a yellow-yellow colour, the scarf itself was an almost exact replica of Yang's original scarf. Made of a higher quality material, silk maybe, a spot of white immediately caught Yang's attention, the small patch taking up one corner of the accessory. No bigger than her thumb and stitched in pearl white thread, a bird with open wings and a long tail occupied the corner of the scarf, its feathers made of fire.

It was a white phoenix.

Yang eyes went wide.

"Weiss... made that? For me...?"

A look of surprise flashed across Pyrrha's face, the redhead nearly dropping the scarf in her hands from shock.

"You're on a first name basis with the Princess?" Pyrrha questioned, her eyebrows raising into her hairline.

Yang froze when she realized her mistake. "I... uh..."

Looking back down at Weiss again, Yang sighed audibly, a weary smile on her face.

"It's… complicated..."

"I… see…" Pyrrha replied hesitantly, turning her attention back to the accessory in her grasp.

Yang silently chided herself for killing the conversation, despite it not being her intention to do so. She shouldn't have been surprise though, Yang supposed, especially considering she was talking to her ex about... well, whatever it was she had with Weiss. With her thoughts back on her slumbering companion, Yang gazed at the ex-princess, noting just how adorable cute Weiss was when she slept.

"I'm sorry, Yang," Pyrrha said after a minute or two, halting Yang's thoughts. Yang had almost forgotten Pyrrha was still with them.

Almost.

She raised a questioning eyebrow at the other girl.

"Sorry for what?" Yang asked.

"For giving up on you so quickly," Pyrrha said, her shoulders sagging forward. Pyrrha stared at the scarf in her hands, her expression one of dejection.

"As the days passed by with no sign of you waking-"

"Pyrrha."

Pyrrha went silent.

Yang sighed. "Pyrrha, look at me. Please?"

Yang waited until the redhead reluctantly met her gaze before speaking.

"I understand. Really I do," Yang began. "And I don't blame you for it. Considering what happened to-"

"But Yang-" Pyrrha protested.

"_Pyrrha."_

Yang loved Pyrrha. She really did. Even after all this time, even when things hadn't gone the way she wanted them to originally, Yang still loved the other girl now turned tavern owner, amongst other things. But it was a different sort of love now. Now that she had had some time to explore the world and figure some things out, Yang finally understood the things she could not before.

"You're a really good friend. You know that?"

Unable to reach over and hold the girl's hand, Yang gave Pyrrha a grateful smile instead.

"Stop being so hard on yourself," Yang continued. "You're allowed to make mistakes. They happen sometimes, you know? I mean, look at me. I've made so many mistakes in my life, and probably wouldn't be here now had you not saved my ass all those times."

Pyrrha chuckled at that remark, the redhead smirking as she spoke. "You do have a fine ass, Yang. It would have been a crime not to save that."

Yang mirrored Pyrrha's chuckle, ever so mindful of her shoulder. There was the playful girl she knew.

"Oh? I see how it is," Yang said, once she got over her initial giggles. "You only loved me for my ass, didn't you?"

Smiling, Pyrrha reached over and gently held Yang arm under the bandages. "Maybe," the redhead said, looking at Yang fondly. Pyrrha's thumb stroked Yang's wrist.

They may not have been together anymore, but even so, nothing would stop them from being close friends.

Yang smiled, reaching over with her good hand to rest on top of Pyrrha's.

"Well, I really can't fault you for that," she commented, earning her another laugh from the tavern owner. "I do have a nice ass after all."

Hearty laughter once again filled the room, it only stopping when the slumbering Weiss muttered something unintelligible in her sleep, the white haired girl once again shifting closer to Yang. As if guilty for being caught in that position, Pyrrha quickly pulled back her hand, Yang smiling in exasperation at that action.

"She's a bit possessive, isn't she?" Yang commented jokingly.

"I was the same back then, was I not?" Pyrrha said smiling, the redhead showing there was no hard feelings between them.

"You were," Yang said, smirking as she thought back to old times. "I really loved it when you went all _rawr_ over me."

Pyrrha blushed fiercely when Yang winked at her, evidently also remembering the times Yang was referring to.

"Does Jauney boy know about that side of you?" she asked, Yang's smile turning into a full blown shit eating grin. "Does he like it when you go all hot and bothered for him between the sheets?"

If Pyrrha was red before, now she was scarlet.

"Y-Yang!" Pyrrha stuttered, covering her face with her hands. The scarf Weiss made fluttered down to Pyrrha's lap.

"You're incorrigible!"

"You know it," Yang replied with another wink.

Carefully stretching her stiff shoulders while Pyrrha recovered her dignity, Yang's gaze shifted to the side when the splotch of yellow caught her attention.

"Pyrrha, could you...?" Yang said, motioning to the forgotten scarf.

Pyrrha pulled her hands away from her face and looked down at the accessory in confusion. A few seconds later, recognition dawned in her eyes and she smiled.

"Of course."

Tilting her head forward as far as she could without aggravating her wound, a wave of nostalgia washed over Yang as Pyrrha loosely tied the scarf around her neck. Once the securing knot was fastened and Pyrrha's hands retracted, she lay back into her pillow again, Yang marvelling at the silkiness now warming her neck.

"How does it feel?" Pyrrha asked.

Yang raised her uninjured hand to touch the yellow material. "It feels..."

Unlike her original scarf, this one felt... different. While it was true that her original scarf and this scarf were made out of different materials, that was not the difference Yang was noticing. No, the difference Yang was feeling was... probably just in her head. This scarf felt lighter than her original scarf because of one thing.

Purpose.

A scarf was a scarf, no matter what material it was made out of. But a scarf's purpose? Well, that was different between scarf to scarf. Weiss' scarf was not meant to hide Yang. If it was, the ex-heiress wouldn't have put so much effort into making it. If it was truly supposed to hide her, like her original one did, it would have been boring and plain and ugly. But it was not.

Weiss' scarf was not boring. It was not plain. And it was the furthest thing from ugly. It was vibrant. It was exquisite. It was beautiful. This was a scarf meant to highlight her. It was meant to make her stand out. It was a scarf which accepted Yang for who she was, and not for who she pretended to be.

Yes.

That was the difference Yang decided.

She was not pretending to be someone else with this scarf. Now she was just being herself.

"It's perfect," Yang said, turning her gaze back to the sleeping Weiss at her side.

"I'm glad to hear that," Pyrrha said, shifting slightly in her chair. "The Princess worked day and night on it the whole time she was here, barely sleeping or eating. She only managed to finish it last night."

Yang's free hand returned to Weiss' hair, Yang wondering just how soft those platinum white locks were. As soft as the scarf around her neck at least.

"I never knew she could sew," Yang said softly.

"A part of me thinks it was the only way she could keep herself sane while you slept," Pyrrha commented, the redhead smoothing out her skirt. "Gods only know what I would have done had that actually been me in her shoes."

Yang said nothing to that, her gaze never leaving her sleeping companion as she slowly stroking Weiss' hair.

"Say Pyrrha?" Yang started, hesitant. "Do the others know? You know... that Weiss is..."

Lavender coloured eyes reluctantly drifted back to the tavern owner.

Pyrrha gave Yang a sympathetic pat on her blanketed leg.

"Ren had his suspicions," Pyrrha stated. "But neither he nor Nora really knew until we told them. As for Jaune and myself... well, you know. You don't get as good as we are in the information trade without learning a few... secrets. Tavern work isn't all that bad, but selling ale doesn't make a man rich."

Yang nodded in response. Before she became a rogue, Yang had tried her hand at a variety of positions, including working the bar. Needless to say, it didn't turn out all that well.

"Don't fret," Pyrrha assured her. "None of us will say anything. You're practically family to us."

Another reassuring pat.

"Family, huh?" Yang said softly, more to herself than anyone else. Her eyes moved back to the slumbering Schnee on her right.

"Thanks Pyrrha," Yang said, feeling humbled. "You know, for the whole _not telling anyone_ thing, thing. And saying I'm family. It means a lot."

"You mean a lot to me too, Yang."

Ignoring the heat rising to her cheeks, Yang rolled her eyes playfully. "Flatterer."

Pyrrha just smiled. "I try."

Yang returned Pyrrha's smile, only for it to fade after a few seconds.

"Say Pyrrha?" Yang questioned, certain thoughts floating around her mind.

"Hmm?" the redhead hummed, leaning forward a bit in her chair.

"There's something that I've been wondering since I woke up."

Pyrrha blinked. "What is it, Yang?"

Yang pursed her lips for a moment before speaking.

"How did she find you guys?" she asked, looking back to the redhead.

Pyrrha crossed her arms over her chest and sat back in her chair, deep in thought.

"Even now," Pyrrha said, her gaze downwards and distant. "I'm still not sure how to answer that question."

Yang looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Pyrrha took a deep breath before turning her gaze back to Yang.

"The night she found us," Pyrrha began. "It was pouring out. And when I say pouring out, I mean it was raining so hard you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face unless it was touching it."

Yang glanced back at Weiss.

"The last of our patrons had just left for the night and we were in the process of closing up the tavern, when suddenly, in bursts this girl half covered in blood, soaked to the bone, with her clothes all torn up. At first glance, I thought she'd been attacked by some wild animal. Then I noticed the shard of ice in her hand, as long as her arm and half as thick, the tip of it stained with the same black blood which covered most of her clothes."

Pyrrha chuckled.

"Knowing me, I'm sure you can imagine what my reaction to that was."

Yang's eyes were wide at Pyrrha's words, her jaw slack as the tavern owner continued her recollection.

"Jaune was the first to react, immediately rushing to her side. He must have spooked her though, for one minute he was running towards her, and in the next, there was a flash of white and he was flipping head over heels in the air away from her."

Yang winced sympathetically.

"Oh don't worry," Pyrrha said with a laugh. "He's just grand now. Aside from a bruised ego, my husband suffered no lasting injuries. The same could be said about Ren, he too not fairing much better. Only his quick reflexes saved him from taking out half our stock when he went flying into the bar. In the end, it was Nora who managed to calm the princess down long enough for her to explain the situation."

Yang gawked at Pyrrha, not sure whether she should have been surprised, happy or angry about hearing all this. Maybe all three.

"That's..." Yang started, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's crazy! When I first unlocked her Aura, all I thought-Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Did you just say, Nora?"

"I did," Pyrrha replied, emerald eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Nora?" Yang repeated. "The same Nora who broke the drunkard's legs that one time when he groped her?"

"The one and only," Pyrrha said with a smile.

Yang stared, and stared, and stared at the redhead.

"You're joking."

Pyrrha chuckled for what seemed like the umpteenth time this afternoon, her smile not lessening in the least.

"I assure you, Yang," the tavern owner said. "I'm not. While I'm not one for violence myself, I'm glad she did it. It's not easy serving those idiots in the tavern, especially when all they do is stare at your chest."

Yang gaped at Pyrrha for the better part of a few more seconds before she turned back to Weiss. Well, at least that explained where the neon pink shirt came from.

"Huh," Yang murmured, flabbergasted.

"Unbelievable, I know." Pyrrha laughed again. "Even after witnessing it myself, I still have a hard time believing it. Luckily for the both of you, Princess Schnee found us first, and not someone else. I highly doubt things would have turned out the way they did otherwise."

"Yeah," Yang said, suddenly feeling more tired now than she was before. It seemed things were finally catching up to her, which was no surprise considering what she had gone through these past few weeks. Yang's fingers continued to comb through Weiss' soft locks.

"I'm really happy for you, Yang," Pyrrha said, the redhead relinquishing her chair in favor of leaning across Yang's bed to pull up the blanket on Weiss' shoulders.

Yang looked at her friend in surprise before smiling. "Thanks Pyrrha. Me too."

"She's something special, that one," Pyrrha continued, returning to her chair. "It's not everyday the Princess of Vale bursts into your tavern, wearing scraps for clothing, threatening to toss_ every damn Grimm_ in the Emerald Forest at you if you didn't help her save her friend."

"You're telling- Wait. What's this now?"

Again, Yang was gawping. Seriously, how many times today was she going to have things repeated because her brain couldn't keep up with her ears?

Pyrrha smiled at Yang, almost laughing. "Her words exactly."

"Seriously?"

Pyrrha nodded.

Yang stared at Pyrrha blankly for a few seconds before she sighed in exasperation.

"I've created a monster," she said, sinking back into her bed.

"Oh? " Pyrrha said, her eyes filled with mirth. "So you're to blame for that are you? Now it all makes sense."

Pyrrha rested a hand on her cheek and sighed heavily. She stared at the floor lost in thought.

"Huh? What now?" Yang queried, clearly not following the redhead's line of thought. She followed Pyrrha's gaze but didn't notice anything different with the floor.

"Oh, just the princess feeding you medicine through a kiss," Pyrrha said, another exasperated sigh escaping her.

Yang opened her mouth to say something, but froze when her brain finally processed the tavern owner's words.

"She..." Yang started, swallowing dryly. Her free hand raised to her lips, her fingertips ghosting across them.

"She did what?" Yang almost squawked.

Lavender coloured eyes immediately darted back to Weiss, Yang's cheeks burning hot. The thought of Weiss kissing her... intentionally... Oh boy. Yang wasn't sure what to think about that.

"As I said before," Pyrrha said, her gaze soft. "She's something special."

Inhaling deeply, Yang sighed again, smiling.

"Yeah," she said quietly, her eyes drifting back to the sleeping girl. Her fingers curled in Weiss' hair once more, Yang very much loving the feel of former heiress' hair.

"She is."

A gentle wind blew through the window, sending the half drawn curtains flapping. Listening to her companion's soft breaths, Yang couldn't but wonder what Weiss was experiencing as she explored the dream world. Was it possible that Weiss was dreaming of her, like the way Yang had of Weiss so many times before? Did Weiss really like her in the way Pyrrha said?

"What are you going to do now, Yang?" Pyrrha asked, breaking the silence between them.

For the longest time Yang said nothing. Watching Weiss breathe, her thoughts circled and circled and circled again. What was she going to do? Hauling Weiss in for the bounty was out of the question. And if what that deranged Cinder woman had said was true, so many things had changed at this point. So what was she to do? Pretend all of that never happened?

"Pyrrha, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Yang," Pyrrha replied. "You know you can ask me anything."

Yang pursed her lips together tightly. "How bad are things out there? You know, with the bounty on my head and Princess Schnee's supposed death by my hands?"

"How did you-" Pyrrha began.

"We were attacked by bounty hunters in the forest," Yang explained, careful to leave out a few key details. "They were rather talkative before trying to kill us."

"Ah," came the sound of understanding from the tavern owner. Pyrrha looked away for a moment to collect her thoughts. She turned back to Yang smiling wearily after a few seconds.

"Do you want the good news first or the bad news?"

"There's actually good news?" Yang asked, her eyebrows raising.

"There is," Pyrrha replied.

Yang swallowed thickly.

"I guess I'll take the good news first then," she said.

"Well," Pyrrha started. "The good news is, no one knows your true identity. Everyone is looking for _Phoenix_. Not _Yang Xiao Long_."

Yang blinked. "What?"

"Your true identity is safe, Yang," Pyrrha clarified, after seeing Yang's confusion. "No one knows who you really are."

"But..." Yang began, her thoughts immediately going to a very particular trio, a man with a pair of twins favoring red and white.

"That can't be right..." Yang muttered to under her breath.

"Yang?" Pyrrha questioned.

"It's nothing," Yang said quickly, the frown never leaving her face. "Don't worry about it."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, evidently not believing Yang, but she did not push the matter.

"And the bad news?" Yang asked, eager to change the subject.

Pyrrha sighed deeply before answering.

"There's not one corner in the entire kingdom which doesn't have a bounty poster up for Phoenix," Pyrrha said. "And every day, more and more bounty hunters pour into the kingdom, in the hopes of making it big by bringing you in. _Dead_ or alive."

A pause.

"Though, from what I've been hearing lately," Pyrrha continued. "It seems the King would rather you be dead than alive."

Yang hummed.

"Just how big of a bounty are we talking here?" she queried.

Pyrrha took another moment again before replying.

"One hundred thousand lien," the redhead eventually said.

Yang stared at Pyrrha for a full minute.

"Huh..." she said, releasing the breath she didn't even realize she was holding.

"I'm sorry," Pyrrha said. "I know it's a lot to take in."

"That's an understatement," Yang said, almost snorting. "Save the princess, you said. Collect the bounty, you said. Live the rest of your life without a care in the world, you said! Where did the whole _get accused for a murder you didn't commit resulting in a bounty on your head worth your weight in lien_ come in!?"

Pyrrha winced at Yang's tone, giving her an apologetic look.

"To be fair," Pyrrha said. "The information we had at the time all pointed to the Princess simply running away from home and not this whole... other mess."

Yang sighed deeply, rubbing her face with her hand. "I know, Pyrrha, I know."

Another sigh.

"Sorry for yelling," she said, Yang chewing on her lip. "It's just that..."

"Letting the chips fall where they may wasn't the best idea this time?" Pyrrha offered, her head tilted to the side as she looked at Yang.

"Yeah," Yang said with a chuckle. Pyrrha knew her too well.

"The next time another big bounty like this comes up, remind me not to take it. Ten thousand lien is not worth weeks of attempts on my life."

Yang chuckled again.

"Yang?" Pyrrha questioned, giving Yang a look she didn't quite know what to make of. "What are you talking about? It's been six months since I last spoke you."

"Six months?" Yang echoed, her brows scrunching. "I was only gone for a few weeks."

"A few weeks?" Pyrrha echoed, confused. "Yang, it's the end of Fall. Winter is nearly here."

Yang's mind went blank.

"W-What?" she said when she regained some semblance of speech. "What are you talking about?"

That couldn't be right. What Pyrrha was saying couldn't be right. The redhead was joking. Yes, that had to be it. It was a prank, Pyrrha getting back at her for teasing her before.

"Yang," Pyrrha repeated. "The last time I saw to you was Aprillis. We're now in Octius."

"No..." Yang said, shaking her head. "That's not possible."

Looking past Pyrrha for the window, Yang watched as a soft breeze fluttered the curtains again. Only now did she notice the cooler temperature, something not fitting for spring. But that couldn't be right. Was she just imagining things?

"I swear! I stopped by here just a couple of weeks ago!"

Pyrrha pursed her lips together, frowning as she looked to the side.

"They say time moves differently in the Emerald Forest," the tavern owner said after a moment. "Many travellers who were brave enough to traverse it often reported having spent less time in the forest than they actually thought. Maybe the same has happened to you?"

"But how can that be…" Yang said, still in disbelief over this all.

"I don't know, Yang" Pyrrha told her. "I wish I had a better explanation for you."

Yang sank back into her bed, staring at the ceiling but not really looking at it.

"Can you guys still make a person... _'disappear'_?" Yang asked after a moment. She didn't meet Pyrrha's gaze.

"Jaune's working on that as we speak," the redhead informed her, relief in her tone. "By the end of the day, you'll have a new-"

"It's not for me."

Pyrrha went silent before she got her wits about her. "Pardon?"

Yang raised her gaze to meet Pyrrha's.

"It's not for me," Yang repeated, a seriousness to her voice.

Pyrrha looked absolutely baffled at her reaction. "If it's not for you, who is it for?"

Yang looked at the still sleeping Weiss next to her.

Pyrrha pursed her lips together in a fine line. "If that's what you want," the other girl said.

A pause.

"But what about you?"

To that question, Yang gave Pyrrha a bitter smile.

"I'm going to do something I should have done a long time ago," Yang said, her eyes drifting back Weiss again.

Pyrrha shifted in her chair, before speaking up again.

"What's that?" the tavern owner asked, concern in her voice.

Yang met Pyrrha's worried gaze.

"Stop running," was all she said.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**__ And Team JNPR makes an appearance! Well Pyrrha does at least. You'll be seeing the others in a bit. In case it wasn't clear, Team JNPR owns a tavern called the Juniper Tavern in Mistral. Nora and Pyrrha are servers in the tavern, Jaune is the main owner (along with Pyrrha) and Ren is the bartender. Before that, Ren was a wandering medicine man who eventually found himself in Mistral. Pyrrha also cooks with occasional assistance from Nora. While tavern business is not bad, most of their money comes from them being in the information business. Team JNPR are information brokers, the best in Mistral. If there's a piece of information you want, they probably have it, but it comes with a price. ;) _

_Just to remind you all, while the other characters from the RWBY cast will be making appearances (cameos really) in this story, the main focus is on Yang and Weiss._

_As hinted early, Weiss is not the only one who can re-live memories. It goes the other way too. This happened as a result of Yang unlocking Weiss' Aura to save her life. For a brief moment, their Auras connected, bonded and fused, leaving a piece of each other in the other. Weiss' memories in Yang only triggered now, when she had none of her own Aura left for a time._

_For those of you wondering, Weiss borrowed the pink shirt from Nora. Technically Nora is smaller than her (as per the RWBY character height chart), but for the purposes of this story, they're about the same size. Yang's red shirt was borrowed from Pyrrha._

_Yes, Pyrrha and Yang have a bit of history together._

_The calendar year in this story is based on the Julian calendar. More information can be found here (replace the commas with periods): en,wikipedia,org/wiki/Julian_calendar. As the latter months of the year quite didn't match the previous ones, I tweaked them a bit to match._

_In this story, Mistral and pretty much the kingdom of Vale experiences four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Each season is roughly three months long._


	18. Time to Say Goodbye

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And another chapter is up! For those of you wondering what was going to happen next, here you have it! :P_

_Again, minor warning. There's a bit of swearing in this chapter, but nothing too much._

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 18: Time to Say Goodbye<span> ~ ***

_~ Mistral. Juniper Tavern. Three Hours Before Sunrise. ~_

A soft sigh sounded as lashes fluttered and lavender coloured eyes opened. Taking a moment to blink away the fog of sleep, Yang stifled a yawn with her hand, the world coming into focus around her shortly afterwards. As expected, it was still dark out, the sun not yet breaching the horizon, washing the land in its warm glow. Also as expected, there was a warm weight pressed against her, Yang looking down to find a slumbering Weiss Schnee curled up against her right side. Since awakening two weeks ago, this was how they shared their nights together, the two of them quickly falling back into old habits from their time in the Emerald Forest.

With Weiss' head tucked under her chin, the ex-princess' face burrowed into the crook of her neck, Weiss slept on oblivious to Yang's awakening, the white haired girl's arms wrapped around Yang's waist. Utterly relishing this quiet moment, Yang couldn't but smile at how their bodies fit together, perfectly, like matching puzzle pieces. It was as if that's how things were supposed to be, just the two of them together. Yang completing Weiss, and Weiss completing Yang.

Sighing again in contentment, Yang raised a hand to Weiss' head, her fingers combing through locks of white for what would most likely be the last time. As much as she wanted to stay here, cozy in bed, watching Weiss sleep, Yang sadly didn't have that luxury today. If she was going to finish what she started a while ago, she had to get up. Otherwise everything she'd done for the past two weeks would have been for naught. There wouldn't be any second chances at this. It was either now or never.

So, with great reluctance and a heavy heart, Yang gently untangled herself from the former heiress and slipped out of bed.

* * *

><p><em>~ Mistral. Juniper Tavern. Yesterday Morning. ~<em>

Almost two weeks had passed since Yang nearly died.

The boom of steel.

And for two weeks, despite her growing restlessness, Yang did everything in her power to avoid all strenuous activities requiring the use of her arms to expedite recovery.

A deflected strike, followed by a stumbling side step.

With the help of her friends, Weiss especially, Yang's recovery proved swift, swifter than anyone had thought possible. Within a week, she was able to get up on her own without assistance, Yang also managing basic tasks by herself like eating (with her good arm) and walking around for short periods of time. And five days after that, her bandages finally came off, Yang's wound now healed enough to brave the open air without complaint.

Her shoulder was still very stiff, and at times it throbbed with a dull ache, but that was nothing Yang couldn't handle. As compared to the blinding spikes of agony she suffered when she first woke up, dealing with that dull ache was child's play. It would probably be another month before the aches went away completely, the lingering stiffness as well, but that was of no consequence.

Because Yang was still alive.

A surprised shout.

"She's improved quite significantly since the last time I saw her."

Yang smiled as she rubbed her stiff shoulder, glancing to her right.

"She has," she said to the other joining her. Pride was clearly heard in her voice, Yang's gaze soon returning to the scuffle ahead.

It was mid-morning currently, the people of Mistral now awake and going about their daily tasks. Mostly healed at this point, Yang was quite happy in just sitting the day away on the Juniper Tavern's back porch, watching quietly as a contest of wits and wills played out before her very eyes. Taking place on the small patch of land towards the back of the Juniper Tavern property, this particular patch of dirt having been cleared out for such things, a battle involving tempered steel and still developing Semblances raged on, between two of the most unlikely of people.

Watching in complete rapture, Yang's breath caught in her throat as Weiss, standing roughly twenty feet away from her, took on the full force of Nora's great hammer. Despite being no thicker than parchment, a light blue Dust glyph stopped the overhead swing dead in the air like it was nothing, the glyph flickering as the hammer continued to press against it.

That was a truly impressive feat if Yang could say so herself. She had sparred many a time with the hammer wielding pinkette on these same grounds over the years, Nora's frontal hammer attack comparable to that of a charging Ursa. For Weiss, a newly awakened Aura user, to have already reached this level of Semblance control in less than two weeks, that was just mind blowing.

"How long have they been out here?"

Yang blinked, turning to look at her present company. Lie Ren sat on the porch to her right, the tall and lanky man also observing the battle with keen eyes. Having been so caught up in marvelling at Weiss' growing battle prowess, Yang had forgotten he was even there.

"They've been out here for… an hour now?" Yang said, turning back to the combatants and scratching her head. "I only came out a little while ago, and they were already going at it."

Yang was surprised, to say the least, when she learned of this whole arrangement. Only a few days had passed after her awakening when Nora accidentally let it slip. Apparently, Weiss had grown bored of doing nothing, and the ex-princess went looking for something to do. It was just coincidence Nora had been looking for a sparring partner at the time. Having nothing better to do, Weiss agreed to fight her. After she learned how to, that is. Or so Yang was told. Deep down however, Yang knew Weiss blamed herself for getting Yang hurt and nearly dying, and it was that guilt which drove the white haired girl to such lengths.

"So..." Yang began, turning to Ren again. "If you're out here, who's manning the bar?"

Despite Jaune's initial hesitation (because really, Nora as the ex-princess' sparring partner?), Weiss was permitted to learn the basics in self defense. Ever the eager and fast learner, the former heiress quickly mastered the basic evasion techniques all thanks to her Semblance, something which became key to Weiss' fighting style. While no one, including Weiss, really understood how her Dust glyphs worked, not yet at least, the glyphs were obviously related to former heiress' emotional state at the time. So with that in mind, Weiss' training regime was adjusted, to focus more on the use of her glyphs, as none of the weapons they tried to train her on managed to suit her.

Yet.

A whooping cry.

Yang winced as Nora's horizontal hammer swing shattered Weiss' Dust glyph, sending the white haired girl scrambling backwards.

"Jaune's watching it for now," the former medicine man stated calmly.

"Pyrrha is taking care of the floor in Nora's steed," he continued, Ren only now taking a moment to look at Yang. "You know how mornings are."

"Yeah," Yang said, hunching forwards, her forearms resting on her thighs. The mornings were pretty dead for the tavern, as compared to the later hours of day. Continuing to stare the spar ahead, Yang inhaled deeply, the fight no longer the focus of her attention now.

"He sent you out here to talk me, didn't he?" Yang asked, not looking at Ren.

For a moment, neither of them said anything, both of them just watching as their partners continued their fierce brawl. Then Ren shifted slightly in his seat, and Yang closed her eyes, hanging her head.

"Yes," Ren replied stoically.

Jaune Arc.

A doting husband. The defender of the good. And the man with a giant heart.

Ever since Yang revealed her true intentions to Pyrrha the day she awoke, there hadn't been a single day Jaune hadn't tried to talk her out of it. Despite knowing the other blonde meant well, that the Juniper Tavern co-owner was not the type of man to do things out of spite, this was really starting to get annoying now. And ridiculous.

Sighing heavily, lavender coloured eyes opened again, immediately returning to the two fighters just feet away.

"So?" Yang said, still not looking at her friend.

"So…?" Ren echoed her, his voice even.

Aggravation finally reaching its boiling point, Yang snapped.

"So spit it out already!" Yang exclaimed, the volume of her voice just low enough that neither Nora nor Weiss heard her over the din of their battle. She glared Ren.

"Tell me how I shouldn't be doing this and how I'm making a huge mistake!"

Seconds ticked by before Ren moved once more, the quietest of the Juniper Tavern team turning to look at Yang for but a mere moment before he faced away again.

"I will not," Ren said, breaking the silence.

Yang opened her mouth immediately, ready to rebuke his comment, only to freeze when her brain caught up to her ears.

"You're not…?" she questioned, Yang's voice hesitant. That certainly wasn't the answer she was expecting.

"I will not," Ren repeated, just as calmly as he did before. "Despite that being the original task pressed upon me, I am not here to lecture you. I think Jaune has done that enough. Don't you?"

Yang frowned, eyeing the bartender with a raised eyebrow.

"If you're not out here to lecture me," she said. "Then what are you doing here? You and I both know this is not your sort of thing."

Before Yang could say anything further, a reverberating boom shook the area, making her jump. With her heart racing in her chest, Yang was on her feet in an instant, her gaze immediately darting back to Weiss in concern. Her worries were unfounded however, for to her amazement, she found Weiss not only unscathed, but also twenty feet up in the air, crouched on a flickering white horizontal Dust glyph. Nora gaped at her sparing companion in complete shock down below, in the middle of the crater she had just created.

"That is so cool!" the pinkette exclaimed after gawking for the better part of a minute. Nora practically had stars in her eyes as she stared at the exhausted and huffing Weiss Schnee.

"I mean, that's not exactly fair as this is supposed to be a ground fight," Nora started to ramble. "But the fact that you could do that-"

A chuckle to her right had Yang whirling around to face Ren. In all the time she had known him, there were less than a handful of times she'd ever seen him smile, far-a-less laugh. While not an emotionless man, not by any means, even amongst those he considered friends, Ren rarely showed his true self. That was not the case whenever Nora was around however, the pinkette somehow able to draw that part of him out.

"I am merely a messenger, Xiao Long," Ren said, glancing at Yang again. "I've simply come to inform you that your package has arrived, and that it has been left in your room."

Yang blinked a few times in surprise before her eyebrows raised. "So quickly?"

Ren smiled faintly, throwing her for a loop.

"Did you really expect otherwise?" he asked her. "This is Nora's father we're talking about."

Yang mentally face palmed. Of course. How silly of her.

Coming from a long line of blacksmiths, Yang shouldn't have been a surprise her order was processed so quickly. Nora's father was the best blacksmith in Mistral, Yang daresay he was the best in the kingdom, next to the Sanctum Taurus. He was the only one aside from the Taurus whom Yang let touch her beloved gauntlets. That and the only person he'd entrust with her other... project. Without a doubt, it was his influence which led to his daughter's nearly compulsive obsession with weapons, something which clearly showed in pinkette's love of her Magnhild. As for Nora's brute strength, well, Yang couldn't but wonder if that was just an inherent trait all Valkyries had.

Yang chuckled lightly, the right side of her lips curled upwards in a smile.

"I suppose not," she said. Returning her gaze to the sparring ground again, Yang specifically sought out a certain white haired ex-princess.

"The specifications you provided were most impressive," Ren commented, his gaze following Yang's. "The Princess should have a much easier time now calling upon her Semblance and maintaining her glyphs without too much strain."

Shocked at that unexpected compliment, a faint blush rose to her cheeks, Yang not used to such praise.

"Aw shucks," she said, scratching the back of her head bashfully. "It was nothing really. I just mentioned a few things and Nora's father did the rest. But thanks."

"No thanks required," Ren said as he stood up. The bartender was quick and efficient in dusting off his white pants. "I put on your tab, like the countless other items before that."

Yang cringed at the mention of her outstanding debts, a weary laugh escaping her lips. She pulled at her collar uncomfortably.

"Uh... yeah…" she said. "About that…"

"You are going to pay that off at some point, are you not?" Ren questioned her, his expression stoic. He proceeded to tug at his green sleeves to straighten them out as he waited for an answer.

Yang started to sweat.

How much did she owe them again? Was it a thousand lien? Or was it more? Shit. Shit. Shit. She'd lost count. She was so screwed.

"Pfft!" Yang exclaimed after a few seconds, her lips twitching in a forced smile. "Of course I will! Who do you think you're talking about here? Yang Xiao Long always pays off her debts!"

Another jittery smile.

The bartender stared at Yang blankly.

"Of course," Ren stated emotionlessly, leaving Yang to wonder if he believed her or not.

"For now however," he continued. "I must take my leave. Nora will be most unhappy with me if she found out I made pancakes and didn't tell her."

With a quick nod to Yang, Ren left her side to join the two still in the sparring ring. Weiss was now ground side again, the poor girl sighing in exasperation as a very hyper Nora continued to talk her ear off about how awesome Weiss' Dust glyphs were.

"Yang?"

Yang met Ren's gaze again, the former medicine man looking at her over his shoulder, just a few steps away.

"Ren?" she echoed.

"Keep moving forward," Ren said, his magenta gaze soft. "I do not know what trials you face ahead, but know this. The human spirit is indomitable. If you endeavour to achieve, it will happen given enough resolve."

Taken aback by those words, Yang could only nod her head at the bartender, Ren doing the same before he continued on his way. Just as a happy exclamation of _pancakes! _broke the still air, Yang's found met Weiss', a smile stretching across Yang's lips as the ex-heiress sought to quickly fix her dishevelled look under Yang's gaze.

She chuckled lightly.

_Keep moving forward, huh?_

* * *

><p><em>~ Juniper Tavern. Present Day. One Hour After Sunrise. ~<em>

A pale brow furled, Weiss grumbling in disgruntlement as the morning sunshine smacked her in the face. Despite having been raised to be an early riser all her life, after her departure from the White Castle's restrictive walls, Weiss quickly found she enjoyed sleeping in, a certain blonde bombshell responsible for breaking her out of that habit.

There was something just so... liberating about sleeping in that extra hour. Perhaps it was knowing she had nothing pressing to attend to first thing in the morning. Or perhaps she just enjoyed the company. Weiss wouldn't deny it, she loved cuddling with Yang, in spite of the angry annoyance she often faked anytime she was caught doing so.

With the lack of a certain brawler pressed up against her and now cuddles on the mind, Weiss lazily rolled over onto Yang's side of the bed to indulge herself. But rather snuggle up against a warm, buxom blonde, Weiss instead was met with an empty bed, Yang's side of it cold.

"Yang...?" Weiss murmured sleepily. She sat up slowly, the blanket pooling around her waist as she rubbed her eyes.

This was not the first time Yang awoke before her. Ever since the rogue opened her eyes after her near death experience, Yang had been restless. Distracted. Often, Weiss would rouse to find her staring out the window, Yang's body present in the room, but her mind miles away. Whenever she asked what was wrong, the blonde would tell her not to worry about it, Yang forcing a smile that was most definitely fake. Despite wanting to know what bothered her companion so much, Weiss refrained from interrogating the brawler until she cracked. In time, when Yang was comfortable enough, she would tell Weiss. At least, that's what Weiss hoped. Yet, for the first time since finding her way to the Juniper Tavern, Yang was not here in the room with her. And that did not bode well for the ex-heiress.

"Yang?" Weiss repeated, now more awake.

Pulling the blanket aside and getting out of bed, Weiss shivered the instant her bare feet touched the chilled floor. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, her hands rubbing her arms, for the life of her, Weiss couldn't shake the chills which now gripped her. Unlike the cold which came from the wind or from the touch of water, something Weiss had developed an immunity to since the unlocking of her Aura, the chill plaguing her now did not come from the elements. No, it came from within her very soul, and it was screaming at her, about Weiss waking up alone. About Yang, not being here.

Opening her mouth to call out to the blonde again, Weiss froze the moment her gaze locked onto the side table next to their bed. On it was a white card with her name written in black ink, a white garb of some sort and a maroon coloured bag accompanying it. With curiosity getting the better of her, Weiss walked up to the side table and picked up the card. The script used to write her name was beautiful, full of smooth lines and arcing curves. Flipping the card over, she found nothing on the back, just blank white, leaving her to wonder what this was all about.

Setting the card down, Weiss turned her attention to the article of white, lifting it from the wooden surface in wonder. With gravity taking hold, the garment unfolded itself in seconds, Weiss soon finding herself staring at a white hooded cloak with a dark red inner lining. All in all, it was amazing, not a single blemish found on the outer shell. Bringing the cloak up to her face, Weiss couldn't but smile as a familiar scent met her nose. Spring flowers on a sunny day. This was Yang's, or at least, the blonde had worn it recently, the rogue's scent heavy in the fabric.

Wrapping the cloak around her shoulders, Weiss turned her attention to the last item on the side table. It was made of velvet, the bag itself a rich dark red colour that was as long as her arm. Untying the top of it, Weiss pulled back the fabric and gasped. Inside was silver rapier, the hilt consisting of four prongs which acted as the guard around six white Dust crystals fused into the hilt.

Despite living the sheltered life that she had, Weiss had some knowledge of weaponry. Some weapons were forged from metal. Some weapons were forged from Dust. And then there were some, like the silver rapier she stared at right now, which were forged from both metal and Dust. These were known as Monyreaks, the strongest and most powerful kind of weapon one could wield. The combination of metal and Dust made them extremely difficult to craft, also making it the nearly impossible to break once forged, the proportions between metal and Dust differing each time between weapons, even between exact duplicates.

If the parts between metal and Dust were mixed incorrectly, even by a miniscule amount, the weapon would shatter beyond salvaging. Most blacksmiths spent their entire lives trying to forge just one Monyreak, many never succeeding. To see one here, to be able to actually touch it, Weiss was at a loss for words. Even if the weapon survived the forging process, there was no guarantee the one who it was made for would ever be able to wield it. No one could really explain why, but it was almost as if the Monyreaks chose their wielders, the Dust fused with metal only ever reacting, resonating, with its true master.

Staring at the magnificent piece in front of her, Weiss couldn't but wonder.

Would this weapon choose her?

Or would this have all been for naught?

Daring to be bold, Weiss reached forward and touched the hilt of the rapier. The moment her fingertips made contact, the white Dust crystals, the purest of all Dust crystals, resonated, Weiss' Aura immediately flaring in response. She shivered as a trill went up her spine, Weiss' heart skipping a beat. Then her Aura settled, and everything was the way it should be.

Except… now everything was different.

Had this been what Yang felt when she first received Ember Celica?

With her thoughts drifting back to the rogue again, that awful feeling of wrongness returned tenfold. Realizing just how much time she wasted gawking, Weiss immediately wrapped up the rapier again and took off out of the room, the red velvet bag held firmly in her grasp. It didn't take her long to find the others, the quartet which had been instrumental in helping her find Yang, also helping to nurse the blonde back to health, already up and about on the main tavern floor.

Unlike regular mornings however, the tone surrounding the group was sombre, if not downright miserable. Nora was in tears sitting at the bar, Pyrrha sitting to the pinkette's right trying to offer some consolation by rubbing her back. Ren was on Nora's left, trying to get her to eat some pancakes (Nora's favorite), while Jaune stood behind the bar, staring at the glass in his hand which he shined over and over and over again mindlessly. The Juniper Tavern was currently not open for business.

"What's... going on...?"

Weiss' voice shook when she asked that question, the seemingly already large pit in her stomach growing exponentially larger when everyone save Nora looked up at her.

"Princess..." Pyrrha began, the redhead's words quickly trailing off. "We-"

"S-She's gone..." Nora choked out between sobs.

At those words, all the colour drained out of her face, Weiss going numb. Even without calling out names, Weiss knew exactly who the hammer wielder was crying about.

"W-What..." she started, breathless. "What do you mean _she's gone_?"

"Yang left earlier this morning," Ren explained, expanding on what Nora meant to say. "While everyone else was asleep."

"But..." Weiss said, her entire body trembling. "But... why?"

A soft voice in the dark.

"_I'm sorry, Weiss." _

_The stroking of her hair and a kiss to the cheek._

"_Please forgive me."_

Weiss' free hand went up to her cheek, where the skin tingled from a sleep forgotten memory.

"She left because of you," Jaune said, breaking the silence.

Weiss' head whipped towards him in an instant.

"S-She left because of me?" she echoed, her voice full of disbelief and horror.

"Yes," Jaune said, his lips pressed into a fine line. Narrowed blue eyes, a shade darker than her own, bore into her.

"Yang's gone to turn herself in," Jaune stated, his tone thick which anger.

"For murdering you."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**__ Ren's words at the end of his conversation with Yang are quoted from the late Monty Oum. I thought it was only fitting for Ren to say them, as Monty was his voice actor._

_And now we have some more information on Nora! Nora comes from a long line of blacksmiths, her father the best in Mistral. That said, while she does love weapons (very much like Ruby does in the show), Nora prefers using weapons than actually making them._

_Just a reminder, the Taurus are a type of Faunus, ones with horns. They are naturally stronger than other Faunus and humans. They are kind of like blacksmiths/weapons makers/mechanics of sorts in this story. If this was a true fantasy story, they would be dwarves._

_I have made a slight change to Myrtenaster to fit with this story. Rather than giving Weiss access to different types of dust like in the show, the white Dust crystals in Myrtenaster act more like a focus for her Semblance and Aura. For this story, Weiss' Semblance/Aura is attuned to the element of ice. As the white Dust crystals within the rapier resonate with her Aura (they attuned themselves to her the moment she touched Myrtenaster), there is less stress on Weiss' body when using her Aura/Semblance._

_Monyreak is Monty's full first name ('Monty' is his nickname). Given that Monty was the one who came up with the idea for RWBY, including their amazing weapons, I thought it was only natural to name these legendary weapons after him._

_The idea that Monyreaks choose their wielders comes from the Arthurian legend of the Sword in the Stone. I really liked the idea that not just anyone could wield these complex weapons, only a select few. That's why only certain people (namely Weiss and Yang, that we know of, though Nora was hinted to have one) have them and can use them. _

_And yes, Ember Celica is considered a Monyreak. Despite the fact she can actually remove and replace the fire Dust stones/crystals on it, had her gauntlets not been a Monyreak, she wouldn't have been able to use the fire Dust stones/crystals in conjunction with Ember Celica. One cannot just stick Dust stones to one's weapon and have it work. :P _

_Just to clarify, there are three types of people. First, there are people with no Aura/Semblance. Next, there are people with Aura/Semblances who create their own weapons based on their Aura/Semblance (think Junior and the twins, and Cinder). And then there is the last group of people, who also have Auras/Semblances, but who can also wield Monyreaks (aka Weiss and Yang). People in this last group are not very common._

_On one final note, Yang's quick recovery is attributed to her Aura helping heal her. Otherwise, it would have taken much longer to recover from that._


	19. Welcome to the World – Part I

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And another chapter is up! Due to the nature of this chapter, expect some familiar faces to act a bit OoC. _

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

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><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 19: Welcome to the World – Part I<span> ~ ***

_~ Cliffs of Beacon. 3 Hours Before Execution. ~_

The galloping of hooves on the downtrodden path was loud in her ears. Clenching at the horse's reigns in a white knuckle grip, she flung the leather straps forward again like a whip, pushing the animal to run faster. Rain pounded her form relentlessly, icy droplets falling from the heavens in sheets of water.

Had it not been for the white, hooded cloak wrapped around her shoulders, those same drops would have stung her like a thousand bees, prompting most normal people to seek shelter from the storm. As it was, Weiss Schnee was not normal, not to mention, she had long grown immune to such pains when it came to the elements of water and ice, and hence she didn't feel a thing. Even if she could feel something, finding shelter was not a priority right now. Not with time running out much too quickly.

A howl snapped her out of her thoughts, Weiss' gaze instantly settling on the obstruction ahead. Before her horse could even comprehend the approaching threat, Weiss' left hand darted towards her belt, her fingers wrapping firmly around a now familiar pommel. Narrowing her eyes in concentration, Weiss' Aura flared, the rapier strapped to her waist quickly resonating in response. A split second later, there was a flash of white at the horse's feet, and everything blurred.

The pack of Beowolves crossing their path quickly disappeared behind them, the Grimm not even realizing what had happened before Weiss and her horse was already out of sight. Startled as the horse was to suddenly be moving at speeds beyond its understanding, Weiss snapped at it with the reigns again, forcing the beast's focus on the path ahead.

She was almost there.

And nothing was going to get in her way.

Not now. Not ever.

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><p><em>~ Mistral. Juniper Tavern. Four Days Ago. ~<em>

"What's... going on...?"

She didn't like this. Weiss didn't like this at all. The moment she stepped foot on the main floor of the tavern, she knew. She knew something was terribly wrong.

"Princess..." Pyrrha began, the redhead's words quickly trailing off.

The tavern air was stifling, bordering on suffocating. Weiss could barely breathe as they all turned to look at her, save for the sobbing Nora. With her eyes meeting Pyrrha's gaze first, Weiss chewed on the inside of her cheek, the clear distress on the redhead's face making Weiss feel like she got punched in the gut.

"We-"

"S-She's gone..." Nora stuttered, heaving sobs following quickly afterwards.

Suddenly all the strength in her legs was gone, Weiss feeling lightheaded. She would have collapsed to her knees had it not been for the strangely comforting weight of the velvet covered rapier in her hand. That and the warm cloak around her shoulders. Those were the only things keeping her standing right now, for reasons beyond her.

"W-What..." she said, nearly gasping for breath. "What do you mean _she's gone_?"

There was only one _she_ they could be talking about. It was the same she who was absent from her bed this morning. The same she who had been distant for days now. The same she who was nowhere to be found right now.

"Yang left earlier this morning," Ren said, elaborating on what the others meant to say but could not voice on their own. "While everyone else was asleep."

Weiss' breaths were heavy, her chest feeling like it was being squeezed by a vice.

"But..." she said shakily, the tremors in her limbs uncontrollable. "But... why?"

The skin of her cheek tingled with a ghostly touch from hours ago. Bewildered by the sudden, sleep fogged memory of kisses and apologetic words, Weiss' hand raised to her cheek, that awful feeling in her stomach magnifying exponentially.

"She left because of you."

Snapped harshly out of her thoughts, Weiss turned to the one who spoke.

"S-She left because of me?" she repeated, the weight of that statement crashing down upon her like a ton of bricks.

No. That couldn't be right. That wasn't true. Yang would never-

"Yes," Jaune said, his hands tightening around the glass he was drying. Blue eyes narrowed at Weiss as he glared at her.

Weiss gritted her teeth at the blatant accusation in the blonde's eyes.

"Yang's gone to turn herself in," Jaune carried on, his voice heavy with barely repressed anger. "For murdering you."

And for a moment, Weiss forgot how to breathe.

"That's…" she began, at a loss for words. "That's absurd! I'm standing right-"

_BAM!_

A scroll of parchment was slammed down on top of the bar, making Weiss flinch.

"Wake up Princess!" Jaune exclaimed, the parchment under his hand crinkling. "Everything does not revolve around you!"

Ren looked at the blonde in surprise, Nora the same, both of them clearly not expecting that outburst. As for Pyrrha, she stared at her husband slacked jawed for a moment before getting her wits about her.

"Jaune!" the redhead chastised, but it went unnoticed.

Weiss quickly found herself fumbling one handed when the scroll of parchment was flung at her. Somehow snatching the item out of the air while maintaining her hold on her rapier, she quickly opened the scroll, all the colour draining out of her face.

"While the four of us know you're still alive," Jaune continued, bitter. "The rest of the kingdom does not."

It was a bounty poster. But unlike the first one Yang had showed her of herself in the Emerald Forest, the quarry of this particular bounty was none other than Phoenix. And this one came with a picture of the rogue, complete with Phoenix's signature brown, hooded cloak and yellow scarf. Thankfully, there wasn't much else to identify Phoenix by aside from that, but that was little consolation considering what Weiss spied further down for the poster. Phoenix was wanted for the murder of... well her. And the reward for capture (preferably dead) was doubled, now sitting at one hundred thousand lien.

"H-How can this be?" Weiss gasped, her mind a maelstrom of thoughts.

Cinder was lying. She had to have been. Weiss was absolutely convinced of that when they faced her all those weeks ago. That's how that wretched woman worked. Through manipulation and lies. That's how she rose to her position of power as her father's right hand. Weiss just knew it. Yet, without any proof, Weiss could do little else as that witch of a woman poisoned the man who ruled the kingdom.

"This is the world we live in," Jaune said, his voice tired now. "It is a place where anyone with enough influence and lien makes the rules for everyone else. It doesn't matter if it's fair or just. Lies are treated as truth. And truth, as lies."

"Jaune," Pyrrha said again, putting her hand on her husband's arm. "That's enough."

"No Pyrrha!" the blonde said, wrenching his arm away, his voice almost booming. "This has to be said!"

He rounded on Weiss again.

"The nobles! The King! They don't even know the half of it! Many of them think we live in some sort of fairytale! But we don't! Here, the wealthy are handed everything on a silver platter, while everyone else fights just to live!"

"_What in the world would you know about that!? You have been pampered your entire life!"_

Parchment crumpled in her grasp as the hand holding it curled into a fist.

"_... you weren't forced to steal just to eat, you weren't forced to live on the streets just to survive..."_

Weiss' jaw clenched, her vision quickly blurring with tears.

"_You have no idea the life I have lived and the things I have done to just live, Princess. Do not speak as if you do!"_

"Y-Yang... you d-dunce..." she whispered to herself, her lips trembling.

This was her fault.

This was all her fault.

The velvet covered rapier shook in Weiss' free hand.

"Why did you have to go and do this now?"

Weiss squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from falling.

Then Nora spoke.

"B-Because..." the pinkette said, surprising Weiss.

Watery blue eyes reluctantly met tearful green ones, Weiss gritting her teeth even more as the other girl smiled at her in spite of her tears.

"She wanted you to be free."

Weiss sniffled, looking at Nora in confusion. Free? Yang wanted her to be free?

"I don't..." she began. "I don't understand."

"Isn't it obvious?" Jaune said sourly, drawing Weiss' attention back to him. "It was either you, or her, and Yang chose you."

Weiss stared at Jaune. And stared. And stared. Clearly the blonde was speaking her language, but without context, things weren't fitting together. Thankfully she wasn't left in the dark long, the quietest of the Juniper Tavern gang coming to her rescue.

"You see, Princess," Ren said, as if understanding her plight. "Given the current situation, there was really only two options for the both of you."

Nora hiccuped, the sound drawing Weiss' gaze for a moment.

"One," the bartender continued. "You find your way back to the White Castle, thus disproving your supposed death, but in doing so, dooming yourself to the life you tried so desperately to escape. Or two, Yang turns herself in as Phoenix, leading everyone to believe you are truly dead, allowing you to freely go about your new life however you choose, without fear of your past catching up to you."

The invisible force previously squeezing her chest was now crushing her.

"No…" Weiss murmured, shaking her head in disbelief. She sucked in a heaving breath. "You're wrong. We could have run away and-"

"Gotten caught sooner than later?" Jaune finished for her.

Weiss was really starting to hate the other blonde, the Juniper Tavern co-owner bearing the full force of her icy, dark glare defiantly. Friend of Yang's or not, there was only a certain amount of rudeness Weiss would tolerate, no matter the circumstance, and Jaune was quickly approaching that limit.

"Princess," Pyrrha said, the redhead flinching when Weiss' irate scowl fell upon her.

"Please understand. In our line of work, we have learned many secrets over the years, not all of them remaining secrets for long. Had you been one of us, someone of little significance to the kingdom, it would have been possible for you to run away and never be found."

"But you are not someone of little significance," Jaune said, picking up where his wife left off. "You are the daughter of the most powerful man in the kingdom, and that same man, along with many of his followers, wants blood in retribution for your supposed death. This madness will not end until the people, and the King, have someone to blame. Do you understand now, Princess?"

Weiss ground her teeth, the bounty poster in her hand tearing between her fingers as her fist clenched even tighter. Her entire body trembled with barely restrained fury, Weiss swearing her teeth would crack if she grated them any harder.

"So what?" she said haughtily after a moment, a low growl in her throat. "While the rest of the kingdom loses itself to madness, I'm expected to sit here while Yang goes to her death, just to... what? Wait until things go back to how they were before, then go about my merry way like none of this ever happened?"

Pyrrha grimaced at that description, but inevitably nodded.

"In not so many words, yes," the redhead said. "That's exactly what we're telling you to do."

Weiss took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Fools! The lot of you!" she snarled, Weiss' teeth bared as she pelted the now half torn bounty poster at the stunned quartet before her.

"You call yourselves her friend?!" she continued, her breaths coming out as strangled gasps. "Yet when she needed you the most, what do you do?! You abandon her!"

"Princess!" Pyrrha exclaimed, jumping to her feet from her bar stool. She took a few steps closer to Weiss, a placating hand raised. "Please! It's not that sim-"

"_NO!"_ Weiss cut her off, slicing through the air with the slash of her free hand. "Do not _Princess_ me! My name is Weiss and you will address me as such!"

Huffing loudly, Weiss swallowed to ease her parched throat.

"I may not know much about the world still," she said, working frantically to reign in her nerves. "But if there is anything I have learned during my time with Yang, it is that friends do not leave friends to die!"

"That's not fair Weiss," Pyrrha said, a shaking fist clenched at her side. The redhead's brow was furled, tears pooling in the corner of brilliant green eyes. "We did everything we could," the taller girl said.

"Did you really?" Weiss challenged angrily.

"And what were we supposed to do?" Jaune demanded, his voice louder than before. He took an imposing step forwards. "Tie her to a chair until she changed her mind?"

Weiss was not the least bit intimidated by that action.

"I would have!" she exclaimed without hesitation. "Because that would mean she's still here, alive, and not out there, about to get herself killed because of me!"

Droplets of water hit the ground, any retorts the quartet had evidently dying on their lips. Weiss didn't even realize she was crying until she had to wipe her blurred vision clear of tears with the back of her hand. Yet the tears didn't stop, if anything, more fell after that.

"F-Freedom, you said?" she stuttered, her voice trembling alongside her body. "Y-Yang wanted me to b-be free, you said?"

Turning towards her antagonizer, she roughly swiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks again.

"If P-Pyrrha suddenly t-told you she's leaving," Weiss said. "That s-she's willingly going off to d-die for you, are you telling m-me you'd just let her go and do that!?"

Jaune and Pyrrha looked at each other just as Weiss fought down a frustrated sob.

"What good is freedom if Yang is dead!?"

She couldn't. She couldn't hold it back anymore. The sobs. The tears. The pain. With her head bowed, Weiss squeezed her eyes shut in a vain attempt to hold back her liquid sorrow. But much like the sobs escaping her willing lips, they could not be stopped, even when she pressed the back of her wrist against her closed eyelids. Only when arms wrapped around her and held her tightly did tear filled blue eyes snap open again.

"You love her, don't you?" Nora said softly, giving Weiss a watery smile.

How and when the pinkette moved, Weiss didn't know. But the gesture was appreciated, the hug comforting, despite the fact her lips continued to tremble and more tears fell.

"She's..."

For so long, Weiss had buried it. Questions. Thoughts. Feelings. When she had first met the busty blonde, Weiss didn't know what to make of her. While on the outside it appeared she absolutely detested the rogue, that really wasn't case. Never having met someone quite like brawler, Weiss just didn't know how she should feel about her, especially when Yang's true gender came to light. But that was really just a lie, wasn't it? A little white lie she told herself as she got attached to blonde over the time they spent together. Then, before Weiss knew it, things were different, and she wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

"She's all I have," Weiss said, her voice sounding so small in her ears.

Was this love? Or a passing crush? Or was this something else? It was hard to tell. One thing Weiss knew for a fact however, was that she wouldn't be able to live without Yang in her life. Not now. Not after all they had been through at this point. If Yang was dead, there would be no point. The blonde was a part of her now. Gods! Yang was the only reason she was even alive right now! Weiss needed Yang to survive as much as her body needed water to live. Whether or not the rogue felt the same way about her, only time would tell. But even if they were to part ways willingly later on, that wouldn't change how Weiss felt about Yang right now. Weiss' life was incomplete without Yang. That was all there was to it.

"Go to her, then," Jaune said, breaking Weiss out of her reverie.

It took her a moment to realize just who was speaking, and when she did, Weiss' jaw dropped in surprise. Clearly she wasn't the only one shocked by this sudden change in attitude, Pyrrha also gawking at her life partner, her eyebrows raised. Ren could only smile.

"I was wrong about you, Princess," Jaune said. "Weiss," he quickly corrected. The blonde left the bar to stand in front of Weiss.

Nora took this time to withdraw, moving to stand next to Ren near the bar. At his companion's approach, the bartender wrapped his arm around the pinkette's shoulders, letting her nuzzle into his side.

"When Yang first told me what she planned to do, I thought she was making a mistake," Jaune explained. "She didn't know nobles and royals like we did. She didn't know the underhanded tactics they used to get what they wanted. As far as I was concerned, you were no different to the ones we had dealt with in the past."

Jaune looked down at the floor for a moment.

"Yang..." he said, raising his gaze. "She's practically family to me. To us. She has such a big heart, one that's been hurt so many times now, by so many people who took her kindness for granted. I didn't want to see her hurt again. Not after-"

Jaune swallowed thickly, his breath catching in his throat.

"Jaune..." Pyrrha said softly. Frowning, the redhead moved to her husband's side and rubbed his back.

"When I tried to convince her not to go, she told she had to, because you were something special," the blonde started again. "I didn't believe her when she said that. I was too angry at the time for not being able to change her mind. So I did the only thing I could think of. I blamed you. But now, I see that was a mistake. Yang was right. You are something special, and it's taken me this long to realize it."

With a hand over his chest, Jaune bowed to her, making Weiss' eyebrows raise in surprise.

"Please accept my deepest apologies, Princess," Jaune said. "For not giving you a chance when I should have."

Weiss stared at the bowing man for a few seconds, needing a moment to process his words. When she was sure what she had heard was true, the former princess glanced at the other three with them, each one of them giving her an encouraging smile or nod. Taking a moment to dry her eyes, Weiss stood up straight, facing the Juniper Tavern co-owner.

"You are forgiven Messere Arc," she said. "And please, it's just Weiss now."

"Thank you, your Hi-I mean, Weiss," Jaune said straightening up. "And please, just call me Jaune."

Jaune smiled, earning him a small smile back from Weiss.

"Apologies aside," Ren said, breaking up the moment. "I believe we've dawdled enough. If you are to stop Yang before she carries through with her plans, you must do it now."

"Right," Weiss said, snapping back to the matter at hand. "Where is she headed?"

"The Capital City," Pyrrha replied, her expression grim. "She intends to turn herself in to the Royal Guardsmen when she gets there."

Weiss swallowed thickly, memories of when she was previously there leaving a bad taste in her mouth.

"Knowing her," the redhead continued. "She'll probably take the long way around the Emerald Forest now, given her most recent experiences. If you follow the main path around the forest and cut through the Cliffs of Beacon, you should be able to catch up to her on horseback."

Weiss nodded, her brow furling as she took in that information. While that had put to ease one question she had, there was still one other on Weiss' mind.

"Surely it will take more than her proclamation of being Phoenix to convince the guards," Weiss stated, her gaze lowering as she sifted through all the possible outcomes. "Otherwise any peasant with a brown cloak and yellow scarf would have been brought to them a long time ago, ending this whole debacle. Yet the issue still remains."

Feet shuffled uneasily, a hand clutching at a dark red sleeve.

"She has proof."

A shiver ran down her spine at those words, Weiss' gaze darting to Pyrrha in an instant.

"What do you mean _she has proof?_" she demanded, her heart starting to beat faster. "What could she possible have that-"

"She has your jacket, Weiss," Jaune said, not letting her finish.

Weiss swore the room was spinning.

"W-What?" she said shakily.

Ever since she found her way here, Weiss had forgotten all about the personal effects from her previous life. Aside from her silver hairpiece, everything else including her jacket stained with Yang's blood, was discarded, the grime and blood (both human and Grimm) staining them having left her belongings ruined. Those things were supposed to have been burned a while ago, to erase all trace of her existence here for all of their safety. To be found with any of those things, especially her bloodied jacket, the Schnee symbol elaborately stitched on the back of it, would instantly mean death for the carrier. To hear that Yang of all people had it on her person, the blonde making her way to the capital city…

"I'm sorry, Weiss," Pyrrha said, on the verge of tears. "That was my fault."

Weiss stared at the redhead in disbelief.

"I had been meaning to burn everything as was decided weeks ago," Pyrrha continued, her voice shaky. "But with the madness from the capital spilling over even here, I never got the chance to. I only noticed it missing this morning, after we realized Yang had left during the night."

The redhead bowed deeply.

"I am so sorry."

Weiss' free hand balled at her side, the ex-heiress clenching her jaw.

"Yang, you dunce…" she whispered to herself, Weiss blinking rapidly against the fresh burn of tears. "You foolish, ridiculous dunce…"

She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve this kindness. That Yang would go so far, for her, Weiss couldn't even begin to understand the mix of emotions running through her at that thought. She would never be able to repay Yang, or the rogue's friends, for what they had done for her. Not in this lifetime at least. But even so, Weiss was determined to do exactly that. One way or another.

Starting now.

"I need a horse," Weiss said, a steel to her gaze now. There was no waver in her voice this time, her words firm and commanding. Looking down at the velvet bag in her hand, she untied the top of it, withdrawing the rapier within.

"Weiss, you-" Pyrrha began, her head snapping up in surprise.

"Take mine!" Nora exclaimed, untangling herself from Ren. Long gone were the tears in the pinkette's eyes, now only eager anticipation showing, as the pinkette caught on to what Weiss intended to do.

"It's been a while since Magnhild Junior went out on a run," Nora babbled, zipping towards the tavern doors. "But don't worry! He'll get ya where ya need to be. He's a good horsey!"

With that said, the hammer wielder disappeared out of view, darting off to the left for the private stables located near the back of the property as soon as she was out of the doors.

"But Weiss-" Pyrrha tried again, only to fall silent when Jaune put a hand on her shoulder. The blonde shook his head.

"This is something only she can do," he said. "You understand that now, don't you, Weiss?"

Weiss nodded to Jaune, soon after turning to look at the tavern doors when she heard the clomping of hooves outside, followed by the whiny of a horse.

"Ren."

At the call of his name, the bartender reached behind the bar to retrieve a white leather satchel. Closing the distance between himself and Weiss in five steps, he held the bag up for her to take.

"You'll need this," Ren said.

Uncertain as to what this was all about, Weiss gingerly took the bag from green dressed man and peered inside. There she found a set of clothes, her silver hair piece, a smaller leather pouch which jingled when it shifted in her grasp, a few rolled up scrolls of parchment and a leather skin which smelled absolutely heavenly. That last one was probably food.

"What is this?" she asked, looking at the trio in confusion.

A smile from Jaune.

"Yang wanted you to have that," the blonde said. "It's everything you'll need to start afresh."

"A change of attire, your personal effects, some spending lien to get you started," Ren began, following up on Jaune's words. "There's also Pyrrha's sweet bread and some cheese should you get hungry on your journey. And should you get stopped at the gates, you'll find the documents inside will fool even the most stringent of inspectors into believing you're _Winter Snow_, a simple citizen of Atlas."

Blinking in surprise, Weiss found herself gawking, absolutely speechless. Before she knew it, Nora was back, the pinkette letting her know Magnhild Junior was ready to go. With special instructions, whatever that meant.

"I…" Weiss began, her mouth opening and closing, but no words coming out.

"Thank you all so much," she said, once she got her wits about her a moment later. "I promise to pay you back somehow."

"Please Weiss," Pyrrha said, smiling. The redhead put a hand on Weiss' shoulder.

"That is not necessary. Yang is a part of our family. And now, so are you."

Another smile, this time, Nora tackling Weiss in a side hug.

"We always take care of our own," Pyrrha finished.

Weiss struggled not to cry again, an especially hard feat now that had been all said and done. Somehow she managed anyhow, Weiss even laughing a little bit when Nora gushed all over her about getting a new sister. Apparently you needn't be blood for that to happen, the pinkette, along with the others just those kind of people.

"Thank you, all of you," Weiss said, a quiver to her voice. Her gaze washed over them all warmly.

"I promise I won't let you down."

"We know you won't, Weiss," Jaune said. "We believe you. Now hurry along. If you want to catch up to Yang, you don't have much time left."

"Of course," Weiss said, quickly turning to the tavern entrance, following behind a bouncing Nora.

"And Weiss?"

Weiss paused in her steps to look back over her shoulder.

"When you find Yang again, tell her how you really feel."

Jaune wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders, Pyrrha resting her head on his shoulder, smiling.

"Some secrets are not meant to be kept secrets."

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><p><em><strong>AN:**__ This chapter was originally supposed to be much longer, twice its current size almost, but I chose to break it up two parts instead. Stay tuned for part II! The craziness has only just begun! XD_

_Messere is a term from the game Dragon Age original used for referring to people higher up on the social ladder. For this story, I used it in place of Mister, to keep with the old language._

_The argument between Jaune and Weiss was inspired by his moments up on the rooftop in Volume I, where he confessed to Pyrrha that he cheated his way into Beacon. I'm not quite sure I captured that essence really, but it was worth a shot._

_Yes, Nora named her horse after her hammer. XD_

_Unfortunately I wasn't able to give Nora a bigger cameo like the rest of Team Juniper in this story. I just don't feel we've seen enough of her character for me to really get a good feel of what she's like. And hence what may seem like a bit of randomness on her part in this chapter. I can only hope we'll see more of the little pinkette as the seasons progress. I, for one, think she has a lot more depth to her than we've seen. But only time will tell._

_Due to Schnee headquarters being located in Atlas, I thought it was fitting for Weiss' new identity to show that she was 'born' there._


	20. Welcome to the World – Part II

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And here is Part II! This chapter is a bit rough, what with writer's block rearing its ugly head again. I did what I could to salvage it despite the circumstances and hope you enjoy it._

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ A Friend – Thanks for the comment. :) I never really thought about it to be honest. I figure they probably had a blacksmith (in this case, Nora's dad) just make some mugs for them. Lol._

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 20: Welcome to the World – Part II<span> ~ ***

_~ Vale City, Capital of Vytal. Execution Time. ~_

"Citizens of Vale!"

Swiftly and silently she darted through the crowd, Weiss moving like a shadow amongst the people.

"Today, we are here to right a great injustice."

Despite her best efforts, Weiss failed to intercept Yang before the blonde made it to the capital city, the heavy rain having swelled the river until it washed out the main road. Forced to find an alternate route, Weiss wasted countless hours trying to find her way around the heavily flooded road, all hopes of reaching the rogue in time crushed by the very element which was related to her Affinity.

"As you all know," the booming voice from before prattled on. "Two seasons ago, our beloved Princess Schnee was taken from us."

In spite of this costly setback, Weiss pushed on without falter, even as the winds howled in her ears and her body and horse grew weary. In the end, it took her nearly doubled the time she anticipated to make it to the capital city, but she made it. Utterly exhausted, her nerves frayed beyond belief, it was a miracle she was still standing at all. But that was of little importance right now, especially with Weiss arriving just in time to witness the very event she sought to halt.

At least the rain had stopped.

"And for two seasons, we all mourned her loss," the same voice droned on. "But today, we mourn no further! For today, we finally bring the Princess' murderer to justice!"

The crowd cheered all around her, but Weiss paid them little heed. Her main focus right now was reaching the centre piece of the Royal Square, a hastily built wooden stage which stood all of ten feet high. Despite her smaller stature, Weiss was having great difficulty making her way to the front of the crowd without actually pushing people over. That should have been no surprise considering the hundreds of people from all around the kingdom gathered in attendance, a sea of bodies seen from wall to wall of the inner palace grounds with no space left unoccupied.

"For decades, he eluded us. For decades, he ran amok, doing as he pleased. But he does so no longer! For now, he has been captured!"

Surrounded by a platoon of Royal Guardsmen on all sides, the Knight Captain himself also standing watch amongst his men, the stage itself couldn't have been more than ten feet wide by another ten feet long. While not even comparable to the scale of theatrical stages in this age, that was more than enough room for the well worn chopping block which sat in the middle of the platform, a Goliath of an Executioner in all black standing off to the left. Closer to the right side of the stage was another man, a man with bright orange hair which covered the right half of his face, the pristine white robes of the King's Head Advisor adorning his figure. This man's name was Roman Torchwick.

"Now," Roman said, pacing around the stage, waving his hands around flamboyantly. "You all must be wondering, what kind of man could do this to our beloved Princess Schnee. Am I right?"

Weiss gritted her teeth as many in the crowd nodded their heads, a few of them even shouting out, demanding the identity of her supposed killer. The fools were drinking up Roman's words as if they were sweet like honey, something Weiss could only shake her head at. The hole in leadership left by Cinder's death had no doubt been kind to him, Weiss vaguely remembering the carrot top as nothing more than a lowly apprentice when she left the White Castle.

How Roman snaked his way up to the top so quickly, Weiss didn't know. And quite frankly, she really didn't care. Weiss' main concern currently was how she was going to slip past the Royal Guardsmen to save Yang when the time came. Now standing three rows from the front of the crowd, she could see just how well armed the Royal Guardsmen were, each watching the crowd closely for anything out of the ordinary.

"Worry not fair citizens!" the freshly minted Head Advisor exclaimed, the people hanging onto his everyone word. "You will have to wait no longer. Now you'll get to see the monster for who they really are. Bring out the prisoner!"

At that shout, Weiss' hand immediately went to Myrtenaster under her cloak, her rapier having been named after a legendary hero from tales of old. With her heart pounding in her chest, she watched as a pair of guards disappeared into the castle, no doubt going to retrieve the prisoner from the royal dungeons. In the sparse few seconds she had before they brought Yang out, Weiss frantically sought a way to save her blonde companion. But she couldn't think of any, Weiss so utterly drained in both mind and body, the ex-heiress having run her borrowed stead straight through the night in her rush to get here in time.

At the sound of muffled screams coming from the White Castle, Weiss' heart went into overdrive, the blood pumping muscle in her chest thundering loudly in her ears. Seconds later, the guards emerged, a writhing, screeching body dragged between them. Weiss' jaw clenched at the sight of the black cloth bag covering the prisoner's head, her free hand balling at her side as she gazed at the ragged remnants of a brown hooded cloak hanging off of the prisoner's shoulders.

_Yang..._

It took a few seconds for the crowd to notice the approaching trio, but when they did, the chaos was immediate. There was the screaming and shouting of insults. There was the tossing of rocks and other small, graspable objects at the accused. And there was also the weeping of the broken hearted. Had this been any other time, Weiss would have felt flattered to know so many people cared about her. Or rather, knew of her to the point of deluding themselves into caring. But as it was, Weiss really didn't care for all this misguided affection. Having lived the sheltered life that she had, there was no way any of these peasants truly cared for her. They didn't even know her.

Not like Yang.

Clutching at Myrtenaster's hilt in a death grip, Weiss held her breath as the guards dragged their prisoner up the stairs of the wooden stage (practically kicking and screaming), before they dropped her on her knees before the chopping block. To ensure the prisoner did not run, the guards clamped their armored hands down on the prisoner's shoulders, preventing her from going anywhere.

"Citizens of Vale!" Roman Torchwick started up again, exciting the crowd once more.

She could do it.

"This is it! This is the moment you have all been waiting for!"

It was not going to be easy, but Weiss could do it. She could still save Yang.

"Before you stands the one who took away our beloved Princess Schnee from us!" the Head Advisor proclaimed, complete with a flourishing wave of his hand.

When the Executioner raised his axe, that would be her moment. With most of the eyes on him then, no one would expect a small girl in a white hooded cloak to come barrelling in to stop it all. And it wasn't like she was going to stop him really. All she was going to do was simply remove the prisoner before she could get beheaded, and then the two of them would dash off before anyone was the wiser.

"Behold!"

Yes. She could do it. All she had to do was wait. And then, the rest would be history as they say.

"I give you, Phoenix!"

With a nod from the Head Advisor, the Executioner stepped forward and pulled the black cloth bag from the prisoner's head. A gasp escaped Weiss' lips when that happened, almost every single person around her doing the same. Had Myrtenaster not been strapped to her belt, she would have dropped it.

"Surprised?" Roman asked, a smugness to his voice. "I assure you all, this is not a joke. You are not seeing things, my friends. Phoenix is as you see. A woman, and none other than the King's former Head Advisor!"

Another round of gasps circulated amongst the crowd, Weiss herself gawking at the woman on her knees. Just like she remembered her, Lady Cinder Fall was adorned in that tight fitting, short red dress of hers, the new addition to her outfit being the brown hooded cloak which led Weiss to believe she was Yang. Unlike before however, the older woman's face was no longer flawless, awful red and black scarred flesh marring the right side of her face. Her eyes were the same however, demonic and burning with a fire of madness as they glared at Roman. So caught up in Cinder's initial reveal, Weiss failed to notice a lowly apprentice moving up to Roman's side, a bundle of white and red in his hands.

"After disappearing for an entire season," Roman spoke up again, sneering at his predecessor. "With no word as to where she was going, two days ago she returned to us, with this found in her personal chambers!"

Snatching the object from the apprentice, the lowly man scurrying off as soon as that was done, Roman thrust the article in question into the air, and held it up for all to see. At the sight of her jacket, most of the white material stained red with Yang's blood, Weiss' eyes widened, her free hand immediately clutching at her shirt as more gasps sounded. The shock only lasted mere seconds however, the people soon crying out in rage and horror, demanding Cinder's head.

As the man newly turned Head Advisor soaked up the attention, Weiss' focus turned elsewhere. Namely the location of a certain rogue by the name of Yang Xiao Long. The fact that her bloodied jacket was here meant the blonde had made it this far. Yet, if that was the case, why was there was no sign of the busty brawler anywhere?

While there was still the possibility Yang was already dead, at Cinder's hands no less, somehow Weiss knew that wasn't so. Call it a gut feeling or a sixth sense of some kind, but had something happened to the rogue, Weiss would have felt it. She just knew. But all she had felt these last few days was own inner panic, nothing more than that. So where was Yang?

"Cinder Fall," Roman Torchwick said, turning to the prisoner. "For your transgression, in the killing of Princess Schnee, you are hereby sentenced to death."

A sly grin.

"Any last words?"

The crowd quieted at the Head Advisor's words, Weiss herself chewing on the inside of her cheek as all eyes turned to Cinder now. For a few seconds the scarred woman remained silent, the previous Head Advisor doing nothing more than continuing to glare at her successor. Just when it seemed she would do nothing whatsoever, a slow smirk stretched across Cinder's lips, the chained Aura user laughing maniacally.

Weiss shuddered at that sound.

"Transgression?" Cinder questioned, that twisted smile of hers growing even larger. "Killing? Whatever do you speak of? All I did was simply clear the way to that which is rightfully mine."

Weiss swallowed thickly at those words, her breaths coming out harsh to her ears. Her skin was absolutely crawling right now, the feeling of utter wrongness growing ever stronger the longer she listened to this abomination of a woman speak.

Clearly confused by Cinder's words, Roman frowned.

"And what pray tell, so rightfully belongs to you?" the Head Advisor asked.

Another blood curdling laugh.

Weiss clutched at Myrtenaster to stop herself from collapsing to her knees.

"Why the Vytal Throne, of course," Cinder said, with a teeth baring Cheshire smile.

A beat.

"And you're in my way."

Before anyone could react, Cinder wrenched herself free from the guards' grasp, bashing them in the stomach with her shackled hands. Unlike regular restraints, which merely chained one's wrists together, these particular shackles covered the entirety of the Aura user's hands like metal ball shaped gloves, preventing her from calling forth her flames. That really didn't dissuade the maniacal woman from doing so however, Cinder hollering wildly as she swung her shackles around like a mace, the metal restraints crackling as they began to glow orange.

People screamed in terror as one guard was sent tumbling off the stage into the crowd, citizens quickly scattering in all directions as the second of the two was flung head first into the Executioner. With the guards now out of the way, temporarily at least, Cinder quickly rose to her feet and rounded on Roman, retribution promised in her flaming amber gaze.

"_**You!**_"

Weiss scrambled backwards to avoid being trampled, the majority of the onlookers now fleeing out of the Royal Square in a panic. Only a few brave souls remained, aside from the Royal Guardsmen and the Knight Captain, those individuals, along with Weiss, seeking refuge closer to the walls of the square. Turning back to the stage once she was in the clear, Weiss found Roman backed up to the very edge of the stage, Cinder staggering up to him tantalizingly slow.

"Don't just stand there you bumbling idiots!" the Head Advisor barked, turning to look at the gawking Royal Guardsmen ground side. "Kill her!"

At Roman's shout, the Royal Guardsmen snapped into action, the Knight Captain racing up the stairs of the stage. The Captain wasn't fast enough however as Cinder lunged at the King's Head Advisor before he set foot on the stage, tackling Roman over the edge of the wooden platform. Roman shrieked as he hit the ground, Cinder's near molten restraints hissing against his clothed stomach, blackening the fabric. That would be as far as she got however, the Executioner having long recovered at this point, the mammoth of a man grabbing the insane Aura user by the shoulder and yanking her airborne.

Weiss watched in rapt fascination as the fire wielder was quickly slammed into the ground, cratering it, the ex-heiress' very bones rattling from that jolt. Before Cinder could recover, the closest Royal Guardsmen stabbed at her legs and arms with their swords, successfully pinning her to the ground. Wasting no time, the Executioner quickly pulled the massive axe from his back, taking only a split second to raise it high in the air before bringing it down upon Cinder's neck. Weiss shut her eyes and turned her face away just as steel met flesh.

"It is done," Roman said, Weiss opening her eyes again to see the King's Head Advisor shove away the offered Knight Captain's hand to stand on his own.

Spitting at the now headless corpse, the somewhat flustered Head Advisor dusted off his robes as the remainder of the Royal Guardsmen and Knight Captain set about cleaning up their mess. Satisfied his appearance was somewhat presentable, Roman turned his eyes skywards and nodded. Confused by this action, Weiss followed the carrot top's gaze only to suck in a startled breath. There, standing on the balcony of the White Castle's tallest tower in his regal purples, was none other than King Schnee.

The Schnee patriarch stood like a monolith, silently and expressionless as the peasants below did their thing. Having no doubt made an appearance for the beheading of his daughter's killer, now that the deed was done, King Schnee took his leave and disappeared back into the White Castle without a word.

"Well… that was exciting," someone said sarcastically.

Glancing to her right, Weiss found an extremely familiar looking young girl (though she couldn't remember why at the moment) standing with another girl around the same age, and a man whose bulk towered over them both. The first girl had a favorite for the colour red if her cloak and dress was any indication, the other girl, most likely her twin, donning white instead. The man himself wore a white shirt and black pants under his very dark grey cloak. Weiss stared at the trio amongst the remaining citizens in the Royal Square – discreetly of course – as they continued to watch the removal of what was formerly Cinder Fall.

"Exciting?" the girl in white huffed. "More like undignified if you ask me. Of all the ways that could have gone out, she died like _that_."

The white twin motioned towards the corpse, her face twisted in disgust.

"Gotta hand it to _Blondie_ though," the male of the group said. "She didn't disappoint when she said this was going to be quite the show."

Quickly losing interest in that conversation, Weiss turned back to the others who remained. Many of them were starting to disperse now, now that the beheading was done, Weiss herself also thinking it was time to leave. Before she did however, she took one last look at spot her father once stood, the White Castle tower balcony still as empty as it was the last time she saw it.

Coming back to the place she was born and raised, Weiss wasn't quite sure what she should be feeling right now. Part of her felt surprised, surprised that after all this time, King Schnee made a public appearance, something he hadn't done since her mother's death. Another part of Weiss was angry, angry that that was all the reaction he had to the death of his daughter and the execution of his daughter's supposed killer. Yet, another part of her was relieved, relieved that she was now free of the burdens of the life she was born into, free from that wretched, witch of a woman who had caused so much pain and suffering.

In some part of her mind, Weiss knew she should feel guilty, remorseful even, for allowing Cinder to die for a crime she did not commit. Yet she couldn't find the heart to care. Because in truth, Cinder had committed many other crimes which she deserved punishment for, and finally it had come to pass. That and if Cinder was dead, that meant Yang was alive and free, just like Weiss. Though, it was curious, how that maniac had lived all this time up to this point. Then again, Weiss never did confirm the psychopath was dead the first time around, and thinking about it further, Yang really didn't seem like the killing type, no matter the circumstance.

"Alright, alright, the show's over folks," Roman said, drawing attention back to himself. He waved at the last few lingering souls, Weiss included, dismissively. "Be on your way now, before I have you all thrown into the dungeon."

Deeming it really time to leave now, Weiss turned away from the White Castle and followed behind the small group filtering out of the Royal Square. But, as she ventured closer to the gate cordoning off the inner palace grounds, Weiss couldn't but notice something a bit odd. Standing towards the back of the Royal Square just right of the gates, was a person. A child. While there appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary with them, a simple crimson coloured hooded cloak adorning their figure, the weird part of it was that no one seemed to notice them. Over a dozen people had passed them by already, yet none of them even gave the little one a passing glance. All the while, the child just continued to stare at the Royal Guardsmen now on clean up duty, soon a soft wind shifting their hood enough to reveal silver coloured eyes and short, reddish black hair.

Weiss froze in her spot, gaping.

"R-Ruby?" she whispered.

As if hearing her name, the child turned towards Weiss and smiled. Just as Weiss unconsciously started to reach out to the younger girl, the trio from before chose that time to walk between them, blocking Weiss' vision for a second. When they had passed her by and her vision was clear again, Ruby was gone.

Weiss stared at the spot next to gate in confusion. Had she been seeing things?

"C'mon now, move along," a gruff voice said, snapping Weiss out of her shock. Turning back to nod at the Royal Guardsman shooing the stragglers away, Weiss exited the Royal Square promptly, the gate separating the White Castle from the rest of the city closing shortly after that.

With all of the things that had occurred within the last hour, Weiss quickly found herself wandering through the city streets lost in thought. So many questions were on her mind right now, many of which she struggled to find answers for. How did Cinder end up with her jacket? Why did that maniacal woman have a cloak like Yang's? Was that really Ruby she saw at the end there? And most importantly, where was Yang now?

Wherever Yang went, Weiss would shortly follow. It wasn't a question. It was fact. Weiss needed Yang, and until the rogue told her to leave her alone, Weiss was going to be her shadow. The only problem now was that Weiss didn't even know where to begin looking for the blonde.

If her vision, if Weiss could really call it that, was any indication, the most probable place to find Yang now would be wherever Ruby was. Sadly, Yang never did share that much about her late younger sibling aside from some childhood experiences, Weiss also getting brief glimpses of the blonde's past through the memories they had somehow shared. So where would she even begin?

"_Princess," Pyrrha said regretfully. "Please understand, in our line of work, we have learned many secrets over the years…"_

Of course.

Silently chastising herself, Weiss turned on her heel in search of her horse, her white cloak fluttering about her as she walked off. Hopefully the beast of burden had recovered by now from its lengthy run here, Weiss truly feeling guilty for having pushed the animal so hard. In her rush to make it to the Royal Square in time, she vaguely remembered leaving it outside the local inn, the innkeeper yelling something at her as she dashed the last bit on foot. Hopefully the horse was still there, though, knowing Nora, if someone aside from Weiss tried to take the animal away, Magnhild Junior would likely put up a fight. Those were Nora's special instructions to her steed after all.

So, with her destination and course of action now set, Weiss strode away with the White Castle at her back, her eyes set on the horizon.

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><p><em><strong>AN:**__ There's only one more chapter to go after this folks! Now before you get all up in arms about various things revealed in this chapter, I would suggest you hold off with your questions until the end. You never know what may be revealed after all. XD_

_So what's up with Cinder, huh? Truth be told, did Weiss actually see Yang kill her? Nope. XD Assumptions are dangerous my dear readers, because things are not always as we assume them to be. Keep that in mind for the next chapter. ;)_


	21. The Princess' Rogue

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And the final chapter is here! Well… not exactly. You'll see what I mean. :P Due to the nature of this chapter, expect some OoCness from our favorite characters. _

_Some of you were wondering when certain characters would be making an appearance. Well, this chapter should answer that. XD_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

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><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 21: The Princess' Rogue<span> ~ ***

_~ Emerald Forest. Early Morning. ~_

The forest was silent, the chatter of small animals and the buzzing of insects unsurprisingly absent as she walked through this unusually quiet place. Unlike the last time she was here, this time, Weiss was here of her own volition, the former princess choosing to cut through the Emerald Forest on her way to her real destination.

It was strange, how serene she felt as she passed ancient trees of budding green, this forest once haunting her worst nightmares. Now however, it was just peaceful, like any other forest, no sense of doom or gloom hanging over her head. And that left Weiss wondering. Was the Emerald Forest always this way, and her experience from before being nothing more than a matter of circumstance?

There were many stories about the Emerald Forest. Often, they were of people entering but never leaving, or about a select few who eventually found their way out, but after a much longer time than they thought. Weiss almost laughed out loud at that idea, the latter already having happened to her. Yet, despite the rumoured dangers of this place – Weiss also having experiencing some of that – she still came here willing, lacking all fear of what was to come. Why? Because Weiss knew this time, it would not be like before.

The rustling of leaves.

"Come out," Weiss said, stopping in the middle of a small clearing surrounded by trees, long grasses and wild flowers. "I know you are there."

Loose leaves fluttered and swirled in the air as a gentle wind blew through, but there was no sign Weiss' voyeur had heard her. Turning her gaze to the swaying branches overhead, she waited in silence for the other to make a move, patience one of the many things Weiss had developed over her time with a certain boisterous blonde. With her thoughts now on the once irritating rogue, Weiss quickly found her mind wandering back to the moment she first met the brawler, a small smile making the corner of the lips twitch. Things had been so much different back then, Weiss too naïve at the time to realize just how important that one meeting would be on the rest of her life.

Snapping out of her thoughts when a single leaf drifted through her line of sight, Weiss did a cursory sweep of the area around her, unsurprisingly noting she was still alone. Just as she was considering more persuasive methods to unveil her stalker, there came the soft pattering of feet on the earth covered ground, Weiss turning to the right to spy the very reason she chose this path in the first place.

"Yuo v'hae meco a n'gol ywa, Ces'rnisp," they said. "Febreo, yuo wken t'no ht'ta I vene stixeed."

Like Weiss remembered her, this person – or rather, this Faunus – was the same one from before. Garbed in gold and earthly browns, two rabbit ears rose from long brown locks, eyes of the same colour curious and warming as they looked at her. The girl's skin was tanned and smooth, Weiss inwardly questioning just how old the brunette was. While she didn't look that much older than Weiss herself, one could never tell with these forest folk.

"I'm sorry," Weiss said, pivoting on her feet to face the other fully. "I don't understand Faunus tongue."

The Faunus smiled, the girl tilting her head to the side as she spoke again.

"Do you understand me now, Weiss Schnee?"

Weiss' eyes widened in surprise.

"How do you know that name?" she demanded, now on guard. Her hand rested on Myrtenaster's hilt under her cloak.

Her smile never faltering, the brunette turned to the tree closest to her, resting her hand on the aged bark.

"When people in the forest talk, the trees listen." A fond rub. "And when the trees talk, I listen."

The hand on Myrtenaster's hilt loosened significantly, Weiss sensing no hostility coming from the other girl. Yet while she didn't feel overly threatened by the Faunus' presence, Weiss didn't completely drop her guard. That was something Yang ingrained her. Unless you knew the person personally, one could never be too careful. Even if you knew them on a personal level, there were still no guarantees.

After another fond pat, the brunette turned back to Weiss again.

"But you are not here to listen to the trees, are you Weiss Schnee?" the Faunus said. "You are here for something else."

Weiss regarded her hesitantly for a moment, before speaking again.

"You are correct," she said, giving the girl a curt nod. "I am not here to speak with the trees. I am here to confirm something. But first, may I get your name?"

The brunette smiled, the kind of smile which made Weiss wonder if there was a single mean bone in her body.

"I have been called many things in my time," the Faunus stated, her expression one of amusement. "Eth Y'dal fo eth Sretof. Eth Pirtsi Rep'kee. Eth Nelvet'vee Tibr'ba."

Leaving her spot next to the ancient tree as she said this, Weiss watched as the other girl took a few steps out of the shade, her gaze turned upwards. Reaching for the sky, as if to catch the sunlight peeking through the canopy of leaves overhead, the Faunus stayed that way for a few seconds, Weiss swearing the branches parted just enough to allow small orbs of light to float down from above, right into the Faunus' outstretched palm.

"That last one is my favorite," the brunette said, breaking Weiss out of her reverie.

Blinking to regain her focus, Weiss met the Faunus' warm gaze again, the orbs from before gone. Glancing upwards at the trees, Weiss found the branches as they were before, unmoving and swaying slightly in the breeze.

Had she been seeing things?

"Those names, however," the Faunus continued on, as if understanding Weiss' plight. "May be a bit… what is the word? Troublesome?"

The brunette looked away for a moment, her head tilted to the side in thought. As a result of that action, the Faunus' left ear drooped halfway, giving it a floppy look. It was cute.

"No matter," the other girl said, looking up again. "For you, Weiss Schnee, you may call me Velvet."

Weiss considered Velvet's words quietly, a multitude of thoughts circling in her head.

"Velvet," she began, her lips pursing in uncertainty. It felt so wrong referring to the Faunus like that, with no title of some sort to predicate her name. Weiss couldn't explain it, but somehow she felt Velvet deserved more respect than her name instilled.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Weiss said after a moment. "It was you who watched over us the last time I was here."

Velvet tilted her head again, her ears doing that cute floppy thing once more.

"And if it was?" the Faunus asked, her expression one of curious delight.

With her suspicions confirmed, Weiss sucked in a shuddering breath, closed her eyes, and bowed.

"Thank you," the ex-heiress said, her voice shaking. "Thank you for saving Yang."

Weiss would never forget the scene she came back to, after finding her way to the Juniper Tavern and bringing back help. There were bodies of Beowolves everywhere, Weiss estimating the total corpse count to be roughly a dozen. It was hard to tell what they were from a distance, especially in the torrential rain. But the moment she realized what she was seeing, Weiss nearly collapsed to her knees and passed out. Yang was barely alive when Weiss had left her, and for a pack of that size to come across the blonde in that state while she was gone...

"W-When I saw those d-dead B-B-Beowolves," Weiss began, tears brimming at the corners of her closed eyes. "I t-thought… I… I couldn't-"

The gods had to have been with the rogue that day, for much to Weiss' immense relief and surprise, Yang was not any more harmed than before. Instead, the Beowolves took the brunt of what occurred, splinters of wood and broken branches circling the place the blonde fitfully rested, the shredded bodies of the Grimm littering the area around that. Examining the marks in the ruptured earth and the slashes on the trees afterwards, Weiss couldn't but wonder if the forestry had suddenly come alive and gone to Yang's aid when the pack came across her. While such things were unheard of, trees moving on their own that is, Weiss had heard many stories of forest Faunus who commanded nature itself, Velvet seemingly one of them.

"If s-s-something had happened t-to her-"

Weiss flinched when she felt a hand on her shoulder, teary blue eyes immediately darting upwards to sympathetic brown ones.

"There is no need to thank me, Reet'lev," Velvet said, giving Weiss a sorrowful smile. "So please, raise your head and dry your eyes. There is already too much suffering in this world. I do what I can not to add to it."

At those words, Weiss felt the urge to cry harder, the ex-heiress just barely keeping herself in check. Velvet's warmth, the Faunus' kindness, was so refreshing to the former princess, especially as all she had known before now was cold emptiness. It wasn't always that way, but even so, for a time Weiss forgot what it was like to smile. That all changed of course, after she met a bungling (at the time) rogue by the name of Phoenix. It was truly amazing how much a person could change in only a few months.

Giving the Faunus a grateful smile, Weiss dried her tears on her sleeves, sniffling a few times.

"You don't know how much that means to me, Velvet," she said, once again bowing to the brunette. "Thank you. Somehow, I will return the kindness you bestowed upon Yang and I."

"Sweet, sweet Reet'lev," Velvet said, shaking her head. "Neither you nor Yang owe me anything. I am happy simply knowing that both of you are well."

At those words, Weiss straightened up, her brows furled in confusion.

"I don't understand," she said. "You… Why go so far for people you don't even know?"

Velvet's eyebrows raised, the Faunus clearly having not expected that question.

"Is it really so hard to believe?" the brunette asked.

Weiss fidgeted with her hands, looking down at her feet as she spoke.

"Well..." she swallowed nervously. "I was always told your kind never liked us humans much. That you would rather carry on like we never even existed."

Weiss looked up just as the Faunus made a noise of understanding.

"I see," Velvet said, Weiss growing weary at the smirk now stretched across the girl's face. "And do you always believe what you are told?"

It took a moment for Weiss to process those words, but when she did, her response was immediate.

"Don't be absurd!" she said, tilting up her chin in defiance. That was a complete lie of course, Weiss believing many a thing back in her days of living in the White Castle.

Velvet gave her a look.

Weiss scowled, the ex-heiress looking to the side. "Not anymore," she muttered to herself, though by the twitch of the Faunus' ears, it was clear Velvet also heard it.

"That's beside the point," Weiss said puffing out her cheeks. She looked away in embarrassment.

At the sound of laughter, Weiss quickly turned back to the brunette with a scowl, but that quickly faded into giggles of her own as something about Velvet's laughs immediately dissipated any anger she may have had.

"I am sorry," Velvet said, once her laughter died down. "I meant no harm. It is as you say. We Tket'Chi Ket'Nits do not usually seek out your kind, instead preferring the company of the trees and animals in the forest."

"And yet here you are," Weiss stated, the ex-princess raising an eyebrow. "With me."

A frown.

"Why?"

A wistful smile stretched across Velvet's face, the Faunus turning her back on Weiss again as she wandered off towards a patch of wild flowers nearby.

"I have lived for a very long time, Reet'lev," the brunette said, Velvet stooping down to inspect the colourful flora. "And during my time, I have seen many Os'Uls pass through this forest. Both living, and not."

While Weiss knew she should have asked Velvet what that comment meant, the former heiress couldn't but watch in fascination as the Faunus gently caressed all the flowers within reach. Each flower Velvet touched hummed and glowed with a light not previously seen before. Or perhaps it was just Weiss hadn't noticed that shimmering light until now, though somehow she knew that wasn't the case.

"People pass through here for many reasons," Velvet continued, giving the flowers her utmost attention. "Some because they were just passing through. Some to hide from what chases them. And then there are some, like you, who were just lost."

"Lost?" Weiss echoed, blinking at the brunette in confusion.

"Were you not lost, Weiss Schnee?" Velvet asked, glancing over her shoulder. "Before you found your way here?"

Weiss looked to the side for a moment, recalling the events which led to… well, everything.

"It's not like I came here of my own choice though," she said scowling, her thoughts going back to the mercenaries from Atlas.

"And yet you ended up here," Velvet said, standing up now, the Faunus making her way back to Weiss with something cupped in her hands. "And for the better, is that not right?"

Weiss looked at the Faunus in surprise before her expression softened.

"Yes," she said softly, a small smile gracing her lips. Things had certainly turned out for the better. And they were still getting better.

"It was for the better."

Velvet returned the smile, the brunette also reaching out to hold one of Weiss' hands in her own, palm up. Weiss didn't flinch when that happened, the former princess simply giving the other girl a curious look.

"I am glad," Velvet said, dropping something into Weiss' open palm. "The forest often draws troubled Os'Uls to it, but not all of them find peace. I am glad you found yours."

With her hand now released, Weiss looked down to find a long stemmed, naturally thornless rose. Unlike like the roses she saw many a time over the course of her life until now, this particular rose was a rich ruby red colour, the petals seemingly humming with life and… Aura? The petals were not yet open, not like a fully bloomed rose, but it felt as if they would any time now. The flower was just... waiting for the right moment, if that made any sense.

"Velvet?" Weiss said, blinking at the other girl. Despite not knowing what to make of this gesture, she was quick to cradle the delicate flower protectively in her grasp.

"For the Dargew'nin Sot'w," the Faunus said, Velvet's smile belaying far more wisdom than her appearance first let on.

"You will know what to do with it when the time is right," the brunette continued, taking a few slow steps away from Weiss, her hands held behind her back. "For now however, think of it as a gift. For finding that which you sought."

Looking down at the rose again, Weiss gingerly ran a finger along the outside of the flower's petals. They were soft, softer than anything she had ever touched before, Weiss absolutely captivated by this marvellous creation of nature.

"Run along now, Reet'lev," Velvet said, snapping Weiss out of her reverie. "Someone is waiting for you, are they not?"

Raising her gaze from the flower in her hand, Weiss was startled to find Velvet gone.

"Velvet?"

Spinning around in a circle, Weiss saw nothing but the trees and wild flowers peppering the tall grasses around her, all traces of the Faunus having disappeared with her. Blinking in confusion for a few seconds, waiting for a reply that would never come, Weiss eventually sighed, resigning herself to this most recent turn of events. Given where she was right now, this type of thing shouldn't really have come as a surprise. So after getting her wits about her, Weiss started down the beaten path for her final destination again, all the while staring at the rose in her hand, Weiss smiling as her thoughts drifted back to a certain buxom blonde.

* * *

><p><em>~ The Town of Patch. Late Afternoon. ~<em>

The Cat's Cradle Orphanage was a quaint, little place.

After making her way back to the Juniper Tavern to settle a few things, namely finding out where Yang was now, Weiss was on her way again, travelling the country side in search of the remarkably elusive rogue. It was quite the eye opener for the former princess, Weiss never having dealt with the peasants personally before. Ever since she was born, anything she desired was procured for her by the castle servants. But now that she was no longer royalty, Weiss quickly had to learn how to fend for herself.

And now she was here, standing outside of this curious place.

A building (an old church it seemed) mostly made up of a dark grey stone, the orphanage's roof was triangular in shape, wooden shingles aged with time providing shelter from the weather. Four sets of windows lined the length of the building, a newer, smaller extension including a window having been added after the originally building was constructed. Two large bronze bells hung from the belfry at the top most point of the roof on the left side, a wooden yet tastefully painted sign nailed above the double door entry way (also on the left side of the building) proclaiming it to be the place Weiss sought. All in all, it was a rather simple thing, but it felt like home.

Sucking in a shaky breath and fighting to keep her nerves in check, Weiss struggled to calm her thudding heart. The last time she saw Yang was almost a month ago now, the time apart making her feel fearful and nervous. Would Yang even recognize her now? Would Yang even remember her after all this time? Would-

Weiss shook her head. Who was she kidding? This was Yang she was talking about! Of course the blonde would remember her. Well… maybe. Hopefully. She would, right?

At the sound of a high pitched shriek, Weiss was jolted from her thoughts. Instantly gripping the hilt of Myrtenaster under her cloak, she looked up just as the double doors to the Cat's Cradle Orphanage burst open with a bang. Before she could even understand what was happening, childish giggles reached her ears, a blur of orange, black and green zipping straight through the now open doorway and straight into her.

"Ompf!"

Weiss barely felt the impact as the blur – a little girl – ran smack into her legs before hitting the ground on her behind. Fearing the girl had hurt herself, Weiss immediately knelt down, scanning the child for injuries.

"Are you alright?" she asked, all previous worries forgotten.

The little girl stared at Weiss open mouthed, brilliant green eyes wide with shock as a soft wind ruffled shoulder length locks of curly, orange hair. From what Weiss could tell, the child was maybe all of seven years old, the girl sporting an off white and grey long sleeve blouse and black pants with green highlights. For the most part, the little one seemed unharmed, but as Weiss was no healer, it was hard to tell.

"Sal-u-ta-tions!" the girl said after a few seconds, no waver of pain or hurt heard in her voice.

"Hello," Weiss said, breathing in relief to see the child was alright.

"My name is Penny!" the small child continued, absolutely beaming. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Weiss smiled.

"It's nice to meet you too, Penny," Weiss replied. "I'm Wei- I mean, my name is Winter Snow."

It was still a bit weird for Weiss, to refer to herself with a name not her own. Her first few introductions after leaving the Juniper Tavern were a complete disaster, Weiss left a fumbling, stuttering mess by the end of it. Never in her life had she been so mortified before, so utterly embarrassed in the presence of strangers, but she pushed on. Now it was almost second nature to her, her alter ego that is, but even so, there were times like now where she almost fell back on old habits and gave her birth name.

Realizing her first query had gone unanswered, Weiss looked Penny up and down again, her brows furling in concern.

"Are you alright?" she repeated, her lips pursing when she caught sight of dirt clinging to the little one's clothes. "Did you hurt yourself?"

The little redhead looked down at herself blinking, as if only now realizing she was on the ground. That did little to spoil her sunny attitude however, for soon she was looking up at Weiss again, her smile going from cheek to cheek.

"I'm wonderful! Thank you for asking!"

Weiss blinked at Penny for a few seconds, a soft chuckle escaping her throat at that response. Not quite what she was expecting, but somehow it fit the girl before her. Weiss held out a hand to Penny.

"Do you want to get up?" she asked, smiling again.

Looking down at herself once more, as if reassessing the situation, Penny nodded before taking Weiss' hand.

"Yes!" the little girl exclaimed.

The moment Penny was on her feet again, Weiss quickly dusted off the girl's clothes before standing herself. Now that that was all over, Weiss glanced around again, her eyes lingering briefly on the orphanage doors before drifting downwards to the little redhead absolutely beaming at her.

"Penny," Weiss began, hesitating slightly. "Do you-"

"Run away!" came a shout from inside the Cat's Cradle Orphanage.

At the sound of pattering feet, Weiss' gaze immediately darted upwards again. Just like before, minus the double doors banging open, a blur (this time yellow and white) dashed out from the Cat's Cradle Orphanage, a child running straight towards her and Penny.

"Run Penny!" the boy squealed. "He's coming this- Oh."

Sliding to a halt just inches from Penny, the first thing Weiss noted about this second child was his blonde hair and matching coloured monkey tail. A white shirt with the sleeves missing off hung open around the boy's shoulders, a faded pair of dark trousers cut off at the knees covering his legs.

"Uh…." the boy said in uncertainty.

Weiss turned to Penny.

"A friend of yours?" she asked, nodding to the little Faunus.

Penny's response was immediately, that innocent and wide smile of hers never leaving her face.

"Yes!" the redhead exclaimed. "This is friend Sun! He's-"

"_RAWR!"_

Weiss' hand went to Myrtenaster in an instant, the weapon humming in her grasp as she all but withdrew the Monyreak. While having never heard a beast or animal make quite a sound like that before, the former princess was reacting on instinct, her life previously having had its fair share of monsters, in all sorts of appearances. Only when Penny and Sun squealed, the two of them quickly hiding behind her legs giggling incessantly, did Weiss realize she had nothing to fear.

The thumping of heavy footsteps alerted the trio to their incoming guest, Weiss loosening her grip on her rapier now as she curiously eyed the orphanage's double doors. To her amusement, she watched as a fully grown man lumbered through the opening, his arms raised, his curled fingers clawing at the air dramatically. Raising an eyebrow, Weiss could not stop the smirk which stretched across her face as the man raised his face to the sky.

"_AHWOO!"_ he howled, the man's short, spikey hair half concealing the sharp horns just above his white and red half mask. He was wearing a short sleeved, red shirt with worn black trousers and dusty, old boots.

"I am a mighty Alpha Beowolf!" the man bellowed, lowering his head after a few seconds and hunching forward. "And I'm going to eat- Oh."

Weiss had to bite her tongue to keep herself quiet as the Faunus, a Taurus no less, froze in his spot the moment he realized the children were not alone. Quickly straightening himself up and coughing into his fist, Weiss nearly burst into a fit of giggles herself when the Faunus speedily smoothed his shirt and pants out, pretending as if he hadn't been playing the Big Bad Beowolf with the children.

"Welcome to the Cat's Cradle Orphanage," the Taurus said, a faint pinkness on his cheeks. "Please, won't you join us inside?"

* * *

><p><em>~ The Cat's Cradle Orphanage. Late Afternoon. ~<em>

"Here you go."

A teacup and saucer were placed down in front of Weiss on the table.

"Thank you."

Wrapping her hands around the cup, Weiss smiled gratefully to her host as the sweet scent of apple and cinnamon greeted her nose. Raising the cup to her lips, she sipped from it quietly.

"Please excuse my husband Adam for earlier," the other with Weiss said. "It's not very often we get guests outside of the regular adoption days."

Looking up from her teacup, Weiss' eyes met a golden gaze. She smiled.

"No apologies are needed Ms. Belladonna," Weiss said, lowering her cup to the saucer again. She chuckled. "I thought his display earlier was rather adorable. It's nice to see the children are well taken care of, despite their circumstances."

Turning her gaze to the right, Weiss watched as Adam unsuccessfully tried to shoo away all the curious children from the door-less entryway. After catching the Taurus in the middle of playtime, Weiss was soon led inside the orphanage's kitchen to meet his wife. The dark haired Faunus, a Shadow Kat, had just finished preparing the afternoon snacks for the little ones when Weiss entered, and after a quick dispersal of treats, the two of them sat down at the sole wooden table of the room drinking tea. Three chairs of matching wood surrounded the table, but only two of them were currently occupied.

"It's not much," the cat Faunus said, drawing Weiss' attention back to her. "But we do what we can to give the children a better life than the streets."

Weiss nodded in understanding, the harsh memories of Yang's homeless days as a child briefly flashing to mind. They were gone as fast as they came, but the soul wrenching agony which came with them would remain a while longer.

"No child should ever have to experience such suffering," Weiss said, swallowing down the lump which had formed in her throat.

Weiss knew what it was like to have no one. That was the very same feeling which drove her from the White Castle in the first place all those months ago. Yet, at that time, she was an adult, someone who could reasonably take care of herself for the most part. But a child? She shuddered inwardly as she thought about Yang's memories again. No child should ever have to go through such things alone. Yet, it happened all the time.

"I agree," the Shadow Kat said, her gaze turned towards the children gathered at the entryway. "Sadly a lot of people forget they were children at one point, scared and helpless. And when they see the little ones out on the street, they turn a blind eye. It's heartbreaking."

Weiss frowned as the grip on her host's teacup went knuckle white.

"That is why we started this place," the Faunus said, her jaw clenched.

Wanting nothing more than to steer this conversation back to happier things, Weiss stared at the other girl for a moment, scrambling to come up with something to say. The Shadow Kat was adorned in a flowing white blouse, a wide black skirt covering her legs. Despite fitting rather loosely on the Faunus, the garments did little to detract from the girl's natural beauty, her cat-like ears and amber coloured eyes giving her an exotic look. Weiss' eyes quickly fell upon the Faunus' bulging stomach.

"If you don't mind me asking, Ms. Belladonna," Weiss began.

"Please," the cat Faunus said, turning back to Weiss. "Call me Blake."

Weiss smiled. "Blake," she repeated. "How far are you along?"

Looking down at her swollen stomach, Blake rubbed it fondly.

"About six months," the ravenette said, only affection in her voice. "While we love all the child under our care very much, there's nothing quite like having one of your own."

Weiss nodded, her smile widening as the other girl continued to rub her stomach lovingly.

"Congratulations to the both of you. You must be so excited."

"Thank you," Blake said graciously, Weiss marvelling at the Faunus' smile. "We are."

There was true happiness there, in the Shadow Kat's eyes, in her voice. It reminded Weiss very much of herself whenever she was with Yang, the smile on her face fading for a moment.

_Yang…_

"But enough about me," Blake said, drawing Weiss out of her thoughts. "As much as it's always nice to talk to someone my age, I highly doubt that's what you've come here to do."

Weiss chuckled at that comment, taking a sip from her tea again.

"Not exactly," she said. "Though it's not like this isn't nice. I don't have a lot of… friends… I can do this with."

Weiss solemnly looked down at her reflection in her teacup. She could count on one hand the number of people she considered friends. An overprotective information broker. His caring wife. A quiet bartender. And his hammer wielding partner. And a pun loving rogue. Would the latter still be considered her friend though? Would Yang ever think of her as something more?

Weiss was pulled out of her reverie by a hand encompassing her own. While she didn't flinch at that action, Weiss was still surprised. She wasn't used to this familiarity when it came to other people, only with Yang, but even that had taken some time to get used to. And now, that's all she craved.

"Perhaps we can continue this afterwards then," Blake said with a gentle pat and smile.

Weiss found herself effortlessly returning that smile, the former princess deeply touched by the Shadow Kat's selflessness.

"I'd like that. Very much."

Withdrawing her hand from Weiss', Blake quickly straightened her posture before settling in her chair once again.

"My husband tells me you're looking for someone," the Faunus said, taking a brief sip from her own teacup. "Perhaps a little one of your own? If any of ours have caught your attention, we'd be more than willing to make arrangements, after we confirm it's the best for everyone involved."

Weiss ran a finger along the edge of her teacup's saucer as she ordered her thoughts. Should she just come out and say it? Did Blake and Adam even know what Yang did in her spare time away from the orphanage? According to Jaune and Pyrrha, that seemed like the case. Yet, not once in their discussion so far had a third founder of the Cat's Cradle Orphanage come up. Were they ashamed of Yang? Or were they simply trying to cover her up?

Only one way to find out.

"Actually," Weiss said, taking a deep breath before tossing a lock of hair over her shoulder. She smiled. "I was looking for Yang. Do you know if she's around?"

A beat.

"Yang…?" Blake said carefully, her voice level. Amber coloured eyes narrowed a fraction.

"Yes," Weiss said, pretending as if she didn't notice the way the Shadow Kat's demeanour suddenly changed.

"Yang Xiao Long. She's about this tall, has long, golden hair, likes to talk a lot," Weiss said, complete with hand gestures. "She also has a fiery disposition. Do you know where she is?"

Another beat.

"You must be mistaken," a voice said off to Weiss' right.

Weiss turned to find Adam standing in the kitchen's entryway, except unlike before, it was just him alone. No children were in sight. Where the children disappeared to so suddenly, and how Weiss hadn't noticed that mattered little at this point. No, what truly mattered now was the man quietly looking down at her, the Faunus still wearing that Grimm half mask of his. Weiss supposed it was meant to make her feel intimidated, but it didn't. The sheathed sword in his hand did however, Weiss silently wondering when and how he came to acquire such a thing.

"There is no such person here."

"Winter Snow, was it?" Blake said, Weiss turning back to the Shadow Kat. "I think it's time you leave."

Blue eyes glanced back and forth between the two Faunus, Weiss silently assessing her options. While she had no doubt Blake would put up a good fight if push came to shove (she was a Shadow Kat after all), she highly doubted the pregnant Faunus would risk the well-being of her unborn child. No, the real threat right now was from Adam, Weiss still not that confident in her swordplay abilities despite Myrtenaster being a Monyreak.

"So soon?" Weiss commented, dragging out this situation as much as she could.

Weiss had to think quickly. If she left now, the opportunity to find Yang would most likely leave with her. She highly doubted the other townsfolk would be as helpful when it came to finding blonde brawler, the people of Patch knowing very little of the orphanage aside from where it was located and the names of the people running it. And don't even get her started on what Adam and Blake would do, if they let her leave here in one piece that is. Yet, if she stayed and risked a fight to uncover what the two Faunus were obviously hiding, there would be no doubt in Weiss' mind that one or more of the children would get hurt in the crossfire. And that was the last thing she wanted, to see another child harmed, especially after-

"Hey! Give that back!"

At the sound of a childish cackle, the thick tension in the room was broken. Before anyone could make heads or tails of what was happening, a familiar monkey Faunus darted into the room, chased by another child. Blake and Adam tensed at this intrusion, Weiss reacting exactly the opposite, the former princess breathing in relief at this momentary respite.

"Catch me if you can!" Sun exclaimed, leaping onto the table to escape his pursuer. In his hand was a green apple, the flesh of the fruit marred by a single bite.

Quickly pulling her teacup and saucer closer to her, to avoid them getting trampled, Weiss watched in hilarity as Sun danced around the table, evading the reaching hands of his playmate, all the while holding his prize out of reach.

"Sun!" Blake exclaimed, rising to her feet. "Get down from there! It's dangerous!"

With the agility of a monkey, Sun did an aerial flip to avoid Blake's reaching hands, the smaller Faunus deftly scrambling backwards, laughing all the while.

"You can't catch me!" Sun exclaimed, cackling some more. "Hahaha-ahh!"

So caught up in his taunting, Sun miscalculated his steps and backed up right over the edge of the table. He tumbled to the floor head first.

"Sun!"

Weiss just reacted. The moment the little child started to fall, her Aura flared, Myrtenaster resonating in response to its wielder. Not even a split second later, before Sun could fall even two inches, a white horizontal Dust glyph materialized underneath him, breaking his fall.

"Ompf!" the monkey Faunus grunted, flopping on the glyph back first. Sitting up in confusion after a moment, Sun looked down at the thing underneath him in shock. Then his startled gaze turned to Weiss, Adam, Blake and Sun's playmate also doing the same, making Weiss wince inwardly under their gazes.

Weiss silently chastised herself.

That wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to have revealed her abilities to anyone. Not yet at least. If things were to go sideways, which seemed quite likely now, her Semblance was supposed to be her way out, her means of escape. Now that the Faunus knew of abilities, part of them at least, that probably wasn't possible anymore.

Slowly rising from her chair, Weiss blatantly ignored Adam and the way his hand darted to the hilt of his sword. Disregarding both older Faunus who continued to bore holes into her with their narrowed eyes, she made her way over to the still stunned monkey Faunus and lifted him from her glyph. Weiss set the boy down on the floor on his own two feet.

"Are you alright?" she asked while straightening out Sun's shirt.

The little Faunus could only nod dumbly as Weiss' Dust glyph faded into nothingness.

"I'm glad," Weiss said, kneeling down so she was eye level with the little child. "Next time, you should be more careful. All of us will be really sad if you got hurt. You don't want that, do you?"

"Nuh-uh," Sun said after finding his voice. He shook his head vehemently. "Sun would never do anything to make Miss Blake sad. Sun is a good boy!"

"That's good," Weiss said, giving the monkey boy a small smile. "Now run along you two."

A glance at Adam and Blake.

"The adults need to finish their talk."

With a nod from Adam and a smile from Blake, Sun scurried off with his friend in tow. Before he disappeared out of sight however, the monkey Faunus paused in the kitchen entryway before scrambling back to Weiss, much to the older Faunus' dismay.

"Thanks for saving me lady!" Sun said, giving Weiss his once bitten apple. It seemed he was warming up to her.

Sun grinned cheekily.

"That thing you did was neaters! Neaters than Adam's girly sword! Can you teach me how to do that?"

"_Sun,"_ Adam said firmly.

Weiss chuckled softly, the former princess clearly hearing the disgruntlement in the older Faunus' voice. Jealousy perhaps?

"Maybe another time Sun," she said, Weiss giving him a sympathetic look. "For now, you should go before you get in trouble."

"Awwww," Sun whined, pouting.

"Sun."

That was Blake this time.

Weiss looked at the Shadow Kat in concern. The pregnant woman was clearly not liking Sun's proximity to her, not to mention Adam was still threatening bodily harm should anything happen to the little Faunus. Not that Weiss would really hurt Sun, but the other two didn't know her well enough to know that.

Okay, time to try a new tactic.

"Sun," Weiss said, giving the boy a soft nudge. "Go on now. The faster I can finish talking with Adam and Blake, the faster I can show you how to do it."

At that statement, Sun's eyes lit up with glee, his scruffy tail perking up instantly.

"Why didn't you say so in the first place!?" he exclaimed, the little one nearly bouncing on his feet now.

Without warning the small blonde was off again, Sun zipping across the kitchen, only sparing a split second to reach out and grab his friend by the hand. Just before he darted around the corner out of the kitchen, dragging his companion with him, he skidded to a halt.

"Don't forget!" the boy said, pointing at Weiss. "You promised!"

And then he was gone, along with the other child, and Weiss was alone with the two other Faunus.

Looking down at the apple in her hand, Weiss couldn't but laugh as she stared at the one bite already taken out of it.

"Well," Weiss said, slowly rising to her feet again. She turned to Blake. "That was… something."

The flash of red steel.

Weiss closed her eyes and sighed.

So that was how it was going to be.

Opening her eyes again, Weiss quickly found the sharp end of Adam's sword hovering just an inch from the right side of her neck. The Taurus stood behind her, just out of arm's reach.

"Are we seriously going to be doing this?" Weiss asked, squeezing the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "As in right here and right now?"

Unlike the typical knight's blade of this day and age, Adam's sword was long, thin and slightly curved. The blade itself was also a crimson colour, leaving Weiss to wonder if it had been dyed that way with blood or something else.

"Who are you?" Blake demanded, ignoring Weiss' question. The Faunus' amber eyes narrowed into slits.

"Really?" the Shadow Kat growled.

Weiss looked at Blake in exasperation, throwing up her hands.

"I already told you," she said. "My name is-"

"Hey guys?"

Weiss' voice died in her throat at the sound of that familiar, albeit groggy voice. Slow footsteps crept towards to the kitchen accompanying it, Weiss' heart beating that much faster in anticipation. Carelessly disregarding the sharp blade which threatened to decapitate her, Weiss turned her head towards the footsteps, just in time to watch another walk in.

"What's got Sun all excited?" Yang murmured with a yawn, the blonde rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she rounded the corner into the kitchen. "Something about someone teaching him how to-"

Yang froze in her steps, her lavender coloured eyes going wide the moment they met shimmering blue ones.

"Weiss…" the rogue said, her voice nearly cracking. "How…?"

Weiss' heart fluttered uncontrollably in her chest at the sound of her real name, just being in the blonde's proximity making the month long wait all the more worth it.

"Hi Yang," Weiss said, tears pooling in the corner of her eyes.

She was remembered. Yang remembered her. And Weiss was so damn happy.

Turning to face Yang fully, Weiss was quickly brought back to the reality of her situation when cold steel nicked at her neck. Adam's blade did not cut through her flesh like she expected though, Weiss' Aura ensuring none of her life blood was split. Not yet at least.

While most people would be frozen in fear at this point, what with their life being threatened and all, Weiss was not phased in the least.

Why?

Because Yang was here.

And because Yang was here, everything was going to be alright.

Weiss smiled at the rogue.

"Care to introduce me to your friends?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**__ Okay, so this wasn't the last chapter after all. When I finished the previous chapter, I thought I only had one chapter to go. But then I started to write this one and it quickly expanded out of control. Almost. :P So now there's another chapter left after this one. Surprise! XD_

_Some of you were wondering what/who that brown blur was from before. Well here you go! Velvet, for the purposes of this story, is a Thicket Kitten. (see below for more details)_

_Kittens are a type of Faunus that have rabbit-like features. They can leap great heights and traverse great distances very quickly. They are also more in tune with nature than other Faunus. If this was a true fantasy story, they would be elves. A Thicket Kitten is like a Forest/Woodland Elf. _

_Kats are a type of Faunus that have cat-like features. They are agile, stealthy, and fast. They are kind of like alchemists of sorts in this story. If this was a true fantasy story, they would be the elves. A Shadow Kat is like a dark elf._

_The Taurus are a type of Faunus, ones with horns. They are naturally stronger than other Faunus and Humans. They are kind of like blacksmiths/weapon makers/mechanics of sorts in this story. If this was a true fantasy story, they would be the dwarves._

_Faunus in this story represent the different races in normal fantasy stories such as dwarves and elves. All non-human races are Faunus in this story._

_As for what Velvet said in Faunus tongue, here it is: _

_._

"_Yuo v'hae meco a n'gol ywa, Ces'rnisp. Febreo, yuo wken t'no ht'ta I vene stixeed."_

"_You have come a long way, Princess. Before, you knew not that I even existed."_

_._

"_Eth Y'dal fo eth Sretof. Eth Pirtsi Rep'kee. Eth Nelvet'vee Tibr'ba."_

"_The Lady of the Forest. The Spirit Keeper. The Velveteen Rabbit."_

_._

"_Reet'lev"_

"_Leveret"_

_._

"_Tket'Chi Ket'Nits" _

"_Thicket Kittens"_

_._

"_Os'Uls"_

"_Souls"_

_._

"_Dargew'nin Sot'w"_

"_Wandering Lost"_

_._

_How did I come up with Faunus tongue? I simply rearranged the letters in each word and threw in random apostrophes and capitals from time to time. Lol._

"_The Lady of the Forest" is a nod to "The Lady of the Lake" in Arthurian legend. She is said to have given King Arthur his sword Excalibur, enchanting Merlin, and raising Lancelot after the death of his father. In this story, Velvet is the protector and guide to lost souls, both living and not. In a sense she gives Weiss a sense of purpose and direction in life again, as well an important gift that will come into play the next chapter. _

"_The Velveteen Rabbit" is a reference to the story of the same name, which is what is assumed to be the origin of Velvet's name. _

_Leveret is what baby hares are called. I originally was going to have Velvet call Weiss a Kitten (that's actually what baby rabbits are called believe it or not, Kit for short) but found Leveret to sound cooler. :P Velvet calling Weiss a Leveret is akin to an adult referring to a kid as a child or young one. With Weiss being a relatively new Aura user, and Velvet knowing this, it seemed right for her to refer to Weiss like that._

_I envision the Cat's Cradle Orphanage to look something like this (replace commas with periods): http'/clutch,open,ac,uk/schools/willen99/w_1520/medchu/church,jpg_

_Weiss' introduction to Penny was based on their first meeting in Volume 1._

_Monyreak is Monty's full first name ('Monty' is his nickname). Given that Monty was the one who came up with the idea for RWBY, including their amazing weapons, I thought it was only natural to name these legendary weapons after him._

_Sun's refers to Adam's sword as being girly due to the Adam's Wilt logo being embossed on it._

_Yes that was Wilt and Blush Adam was wielding. _


	22. The Rogue's Princess

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And the next chapter is up! And it's still not the final one! XD I swear, this is all Yang and Weiss' fault. Lol. They're not quite ready to part with you guys and gals yet. :P _

_This was one of my more difficult chapters to write. I think I'm starting to burn out on this story, so I apologize in advance for any rough edges here. That said, fear not readers. I will finish this story. That is a promise._

_Due to the nature of this chapter, expect some OoCness from our favorite characters._

_There's some mild language in this chapter. Just a warning._

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ Badassfox – Thanks for the review. :) I was hoping for Velvet to take a more active role in this story, but unfortunately that was not possible. Even so, I think she turned out quite well all things considered. I'm glad you liked the chapter. :)_

_ Annon – Thanks for the review. :) I'm glad you like my version of Adam. I think it's a nice change from what's out there already. I was a bit worried about what people would think of him, but that worry was for naught. Since you liked him in the previous chapter, I think you'll enjoy him in this one too. Enjoy! XD_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 22: The Rogue's Princess<span> ~ ***

"Gods Blake!"

Unrestrained laughter.

"I can't…" She almost couldn't breathe. "I can't believe you guys actually thought…"

When Yang first awoke this morning, never in her wildest dreams did she think her day would play out like this.

"Shut it, Yang!" the cat Faunas growled, Blake scowling at her. "How was I supposed to know who she was?"

It was supposed to be another one of those days, the type where nothing happened, no one died, and life just went on.

Adam sighed.

"Yang," the Taurus said. "Please stop antagonizing my wife. You know nothing good will ever come from it."

And it was. For the most part. The morning at least. It was the most boring morning ever.

"Adam."

The said Faunas turned towards his wife at the sound of his name.

"Yes dear?" Adam said, smiling softly at the Shadow Kat.

"Shut up."

Adam visibly deflated.

"Yes dear."

Then a hyper monkey Faunas roused her from her restless, afternoon nap with excited ramblings of some lady and sparkly things, leading Yang here. And now, there was no other place she'd rather be.

Yang burst out laughing again.

A rumble reverberated from across the room, followed by the gnashing of teeth.

_"Yang,"_ Blake said, painful retribution promised in her voice. "I swear to the gods, if you don't stop laughing right this instant, I'm going to-"

"You're going to what, Blakey?" Yang challenged, a shit eating grin on her face. "You're going to use me as your own personal scratching post?"

Yang wiggled her eyebrows.

Blake's first reaction to that comment was to raise her eyebrows. Then the true meaning behind those words sunk in and the Shadow Kat's cheeks flushed instantly. Recovering quickly, Blake immediately opened her mouth to retort, but Yang beat her to it.

"Oh Blakey!" Yang said, her voice husky, her eyes half lidded. She batted her eyelashes. "I never knew you felt that way about me. But then again…"

Flicking some golden locks of hair over her shoulder, Yang leaned forward towards her childhood friend as if to tell the cat Faunus a secret.

"I am rather _meow-_nificent. Wouldn't you agree?"

Yang's smile was brilliant.

Adam, who sat next to his wife on one of the kitchen chairs they dragged upstairs, face palmed. As for Blake, she just groaned, holding her head in her hands, directly opposite Yang.

"Oh c'mon guys!" Yang said laughing, her entire body shaking with guffaws. "That wasn't a total _cat_-astrophe!"

A heavy sigh on her left had Yang turning to the fourth person in the room with them.

"Really Yang? Really?" Weiss said, the white haired girl clearly not very impressed right now, if her frown was any indication.

"Of all the things you could have said, you decided to go with that?"

After her brief moment of shock upon seeing Weiss again, Yang was quick to set things straight with her two Faunus friends. While Adam took a little bit more convincing than Blake, that Weiss was a friend and not their enemy, in the end, the swords were put away (Blake had hers strapped to the underside of the kitchen table) and their conversation was then moved upstairs to Blake's own personal library where they could talk without distractions.

"Oh I'm just warming up, Weissy," Yang said, flaring her Aura for dramatic effect. She winked at the former princess.

"I am _hot_ stuff after all."

Weiss rolled her eyes at that comment, the ex-heiress shaking her head while Adam face palmed again. The Taurus did that surprisingly well considering he still wore his Grimm half mask from before. That of course was less of a fashion statement and more due to his rather high sensitivity to light. Having grown up underground most of his childhood and adolescent life, Adam was prone to severe headaches and blurred vision without it, often wearing his mask until the sun set and the stars came out.

"I give up!" Blake exclaimed, the Shadow Kat throwing up her hands in exasperation. "You win Yang. You win. Now can you please go back to what we were talking about originally?"

Yang chuckled.

"Alright, alright," she said. "I promise to be-"

A loud crash from downstairs made everyone jump, Yang's head immediately twisting towards the closed library door. While Weiss and Blake did the same, Weiss having sprung to her feet even, Adam on the other hand looked only mildly surprised, a sly grin stretching across his lips the moment childish wailing sounded through the closed door.

"Adam?" Yang questioned, hesitantly. Somehow she didn't feel quite as concerned as she knew she should be.

Out of all of them (Weiss excluded), when it came to danger and the kids, Adam was always the first one to react. Given his current reaction, that being remaining seated and grinning like an idiot, somehow Yang knew whatever had happened and was still happening downstairs was not life threatening to the little ones. At least, that's what she hoped.

"It sounds like someone found my surprise," Adam said, the smirk on his face widening.

Well, that didn't sound good.

Noticing movement in her peripherals, Yang turned towards Weiss again, the white haired girl seated once more, her eyes filled with questions. Just as confused as the rapier wielder was, all Yang could do was shrug before she looked back at the Faunus duo in front of them, waiting to see how things played out.

"Adam," Blake said, a low growl rumbling in her throat. "What did you do?"

Blake looked absolutely terrifying right now, her eyes narrowed into slits, her teeth bared and her cat ears flattened against her hair. After being taken in by the Belladonnas following a series of crazy events, Yang could count on one hand the number of times the Shadow Kat had lost her composure like this. Blake very rarely succumbed to her more feral instincts, often choosing to be more diplomatic than violent, earning her the reputation of being the most level-headed one of the group.

"Oh don't give me that look," Adam said, nearly snorting. "You've been complaining for weeks now about the kids getting into the sweets before dinner. So I decided to... teach them a lesson."

Yang had all of a second to think about what that meant before Blake went on the war path.

"You booby trapped the cookie jar!?"

Yang's eyebrows went way up. Whatever she thought it could have been, she certainly hadn't thought it would be that.

"As I said before," Adam said nonchalantly. "I'm teaching them a lesson."

"_Adam!" _Blake chastised, the Shadow Kat now on her feet with her hands on her hips. Blake glared at her husband.

"What?" the Taurus questioned, not the least bit phased by his wife's murdering look. "It's not like there will be any permanent scarring."

"Permanent… scarring…?" Weiss echoed, Yang herself mirroring the sentiment.

Just what the hell had Adam done?

"They're fine," the bull Faunus said, waving off their concern.

The wailing from downstairs was not helping Adam's argument.

"The burning should only last a few minutes anyhow."

"Burning?" she parroted, Yang blinking at the redhead incredulously. As someone who often set people on fire purposely, even she knew there were limits. Especially when children were involved.

"You got into my potions," Blake snarled, her jaw clenching. "Which one did you take?"

"Now Blake-" Adam began. But his wife wouldn't let him finish.

"_Which one!?" _the cat Faunas shouted, grabbing the bull Faunus by his collar and yanking him halfway out of his chair.

Adam grinned. "I love it when you're feisty."

"_Adam."_

"Alright, alright," the Taurus said, raising his hands in defeat. He chuckled.

"It was just the purple one."

Yang's jaw dropped.

Adam was either a genius or a man with a death wish. While not so innocent herself when it came to pranks, even Yang knew better than to mess with Blake's potions. _Especially_ the purple one. Having had the misfortune of accidentally dousing herself with the purple potion one time, Yang knew all too well just how potent and dangerous those concoctions could be.

Fortunately for Yang, she only suffered some minor discomfort (not really, her eyes, nose and mouth burned for the better part of five minutes before Blake administered the antidote) when that happened, no lingering scars remaining aside from that one, cringe worthy memory. For Adam to have used that same potion on a child, or children for that matter, well, Yang winced at the thought of what the kitchen currently looked like right now.

"They're fine," Adam repeated, only for Blake's growl to rise in volume. "Like I said before, no harm done. And now that they've learned their lesson, I highly doubt that- Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow! Honey! Not the ear! The ear!"

Releasing her husband's collar in favor of snaring Adam's ear in a white knuckled fist, the very pissed cat Faunus yanked her husband out of his chair and proceeded to drag him towards the door, Adam's head purposely held at waist height the whole time. Observing this scene in its entirety, Yang couldn't but marvel at this sight. Never in all the time she had known Adam had Yang seen him bow to anyone.

That is, until now.

"Adam," Blake snarled, nearly ripping the library door cleanly off its hinges when she opened it.

The moment the door opened, the muffled wailing from below assaulted Yang's ears in full force, making her flinch.

"After you clean up your mess," the Shadow Kat growled, pulling the redhead through the threshold. "You and I are going to have a long chat about how to _properly_ raise a child."

Yang watched in apprehension as the two Faunus left, the library door quickly shutting behind them, muffling the ruckus downstairs once again. Now that it was just the two of them left, the initial fear and anxiety and everything else which came upon first sight of Weiss this afternoon quickly returned in full force, Yang struggling greatly not to let her insecurities show on her face. Still staring at the closed door, she frantically wracked her brain for something to say now that Blake and Adam were no longer present to provide a much needed distraction. In the end however, it would be Weiss who broke the silence first, something Yang was secretly grateful for.

"Are they… always like that?" Weiss asked after a few seconds, the white haired girl gawking at the library door, completely gobsmacked.

Yang chuckled softly, some of the tension bleeding from her body.

"You have no idea," she said as she sucked in a shaky breath.

Weiss looked at Yang for a moment with her eyebrows raised before turning back to the door again.

"I… see…" the former princess said, Weiss shifting in her chair a bit. Staring down at the teacup in her hands, the rapier wielder smiled.

"Eccentricities aside, they seem really nice."

The corners of Yang's mouth curved upwards at that comment, her eyes drifting towards a framed photograph on one of Blake's bookshelves. In the picture was the three of them, Blake, Adam, and Yang, all of them smiling as they stood in front of the newly opened Cat's Cradle Orphanage.

"They are," Yang murmured, silence falling upon the two of them, awkwardness abound. Nearly a minute passed by before either of them said anything again.

The shifting of cloth.

"Yang-"

"How did you find me?"

Her eyes widening, Yang mentally slapped herself for that knee jerk reaction. She didn't mean to be so jumpy, so paranoid. But after having walked out on Weiss over a month ago, with every intention of sacrificing herself for the girl, to see the ex-heiress now, Yang just didn't know what she should be feeling right now. Especially with Weiss acting all hesitant around her.

Gods she was a mess! A mess who was acting like a complete jerk, if Weiss' shocked expression was anything to go by. Realizing how harsh she must have come across, Yang mentally berated herself for that mistake, all the while scrambling to fix this already awkward situation. Saying the first thing that came to mind, Yang prayed to the gods she wouldn't make things worse.

"N-Not that I don't want you here or a-anything," she stammered, wringing her hands nervously in front of. "It's just that… well, not many people know about this place. And the ones that do, aside from us that is, would rather pretend we didn't exist."

Shocked blue eyes softened at those words, Yang never so relieved in her life to see Weiss smiling again. It was a little thing really, that slight curvature of the former princess' lips. But whenever Weiss did it, Yang's heart fluttered in her throat, making her feel all giddy.

Weiss really did have a beautiful smile.

"I didn't do it on my own," Weiss said, tucking some stray platinum locks behind her ear. Unlike before, Weiss' hair was not held up in its usual side ponytail, but rather keep down and loose.

"Your friends at the Juniper Tavern were most helpful."

Blinking in surprise, shock soon turned into understanding and Yang chuckled.

"Figures," she said, a smile of her own stretching across her face. She gazed at Weiss affectionately.

"They would help with something like that."

Sighing audibly, Yang looked down at her hands hoping to avoid Weiss' hesitant eyes. When that didn't help, she reached up with one hand to play with the edge of her scarf Weiss had made her over a month ago. It hadn't left her neck since she put it on, her nerves often soothed by just touching it. Sadly, it wasn't working it's magic today, Yang struggling exponentially with the urge to wrap Weiss up in her arms right now and never her let her go. She didn't do that, of course, not with things as strained as they were between them. The last thing she wanted to do was chase the girl off, especially now that they had found each other again. Or rather, Weiss found her.

"So how did you manage to convince them?" Yang asked after a few seconds, finally raising her gaze. Despite her nerves getting the better of her, she was genuinely curious as to how the ex-heiress wheedled the Cat's Cradle's location out of the quartet. No one had managed that before, yet here Weiss was, looking no worse for wear.

"Convince them?" Weiss repeated, her brow furling in confusion.

"Yeah," Yang said. "You know, convince them to tell you where I was? They may see you as a friend now, family even, but secrets are their business. And not all of them are cheap."

At that clarification, a look of understanding crossed Weiss' face and she smiled.

"You'd be surprised how understanding those four are," the ex-heiress said. Weiss looked away for a moment as if remembering something before meeting Yang's gaze again. "However, it is as you said. Finding out about this place was no easy feat."

Yang frowned at those words, her lips pursing at the implication behind them. While she knew the Juniper gang to be sensible people, there was a reason this place was one of their best kept secrets. Even with the quartet taking a liking to Weiss (because really, if they didn't, Weiss wouldn't be here right now), it would take a lot more than a smile and a promise not to reveal this location to make the group part with it.

"_But_…" Weiss drawled, snapping Yang out of her thoughts. "That was not to say it was... impossible..."

Yang's eyebrow rose at Weiss' smirk, that expression reminding her very much of Blake's mischievous grin. It was the type of look the Faunus had when she was up to no good, and when Blake was up to no good, well, let's just say it could be quite terrifying.

"And that means … what exactly?" she asked hesitantly.

The sound Weiss made had Yang's heart skipping a few beats and her face splitting in the widest smile ever. Never before had Yang ever heard Weiss giggle before, but now that she had, Yang wanted to hear it all the time.

"You'd be very surprised what you hear growing up in the White Castle," the ex-heiress explained, after her giggles died down. "Apparently, some of those things were deemed acceptable for… information exchanging purposes..."

It took Yang a moment to process what Weiss said, Yang still so enraptured by Weiss' laugh. But when those words finally sunk in, her jaw nearly hit the floor.

"No!" she said in disbelief. "You're joking!"

Weiss' smile was brighter than the sun.

"I assure you," the white haired girl said. "I am not."

Staring at her companion for another few seconds, Yang eventually sank back in her chair, laughing quietly to herself.

"Sneaky girl," she muttered.

Weiss shrugged.

"A necessity," the rapier wielder said. "One I do not regret."

Regret.

Yang remained quiet as Weiss calmly raised her teacup to her lips and took a sip.

For such a simple word, its weight was unbelievably heavy.

As Weiss shifted in her chair for a more comfortable position, Yang quickly found her gaze straying to her hands again. Unlike many a time in the past few months, her wrists were currently bare, Yang's beloved Ember Celica abandoned in her room just down the hall. Since coming back to the Cat's Cradle Orphanage just over a month ago, that's where they had stayed, those golden gauntlets a painful reminder of all the things she had left behind.

Her innocence.

Her childhood.

Her sister.

And Weiss.

But unlike the other things she was forced to part with in the past, the runaway princess came back. Weiss sought her out even. Intentionally. And while Yang should have been overjoyed by that fact, she couldn't bring herself to indulge in that happiness.

Because she didn't deserve it.

Not after all that she had done.

Not after all she had been responsible for.

"Why?"

Looking up from her hands, Yang found Weiss staring deeply into the depths of her teacup, the former princess clutching at the porcelain with a white knuckled grip.

"Why what?" Yang asked, confused.

Pain filled blue eyes turned to meet her lavender coloured ones, Yang's suddenly finding it difficult to swallow.

"Why did you leave?"

Yang turned her face away and closed her eyes.

"Weiss, I-"

She had been waiting for that question. Since Weiss showed up, Yang had been dreading it. Yet even after mulling it over in her head for hours now, she still didn't have a proper answer for it. At least, not one Weiss would have liked to hear.

"Was it me?" the ex-heiress said before she could finish her sentence. "Was it something I did?"

Her eyes snapping open, Yang's jaw instantly clenched at the vulnerability seen in Weiss' tear filled gaze. It felt like someone had punched her in the gut repeated, with a spiked, metal fist.

"W-What!?" she cried out, Yang absolutely horrified at Weiss' line of thought. "Where in Vytal did you get that idea from?!"

"If it's not me, then why did you leave, Yang?!" Weiss demanded, the white haired girl rising to her feet. The teacup in Weiss' hands shook.

"Why did I have to wake up alone and hear it from Jaune of all people that you left me behind like a worthless piece of trash!? And for what? To play the hero!?"

Yang immediately opened her mouth to retort, only to find herself wordless. Had it been anyone else, she would have been on her feet already, slugging the bastard for making baseless accusations. But as it was, it wasn't just anyone else, it was Weiss. And the former princess' accusations weren't exactly baseless.

"I thought I was going to watch you die," Weiss said, her voice trembling. The teacup in her hand also shook.

"When I heard you had been caught and were to be executed, I got there as fast as I could."

The former princess swallowed thickly.

"I was nearly too late."

Yang looked away.

"Yang," Weiss said, the tone of her voice drawing Yang's attention back. "They had my jacket. The one you took. How was that possible?"

Opening and closing her mouth a few times, Yang frowned, looking at the floor.

"It's… complicated..." was all she said.

Silence enveloped them once more, Yang looking everywhere and anywhere but at the former princess. Frantically trying to order her thoughts, Yang would quickly find that to be an impossible feat, especially with Weiss closing the distance between them within seconds.

"That's it?"

Looking up, Yang flinched when she found mere inches separating the two of them. Too startled to move, she remained frozen in her seat as Weiss pressed on.

"That's all you have to say for yourself?" the rapier wielder said, Weiss' free hand balled into a tight fist at her side. The newly awakened Aura user only towered over her by a foot right now, but to Yang, Weiss felt taller than a mountain.

"I come all this way to find you, and all you have to say for yourself is _it's complicated?_"

"Weiss-" Yang began, but she would never finish.

"No Yang!" Weiss exclaimed, her entire body trembling. "Don't _Weiss_ me! I deserve the truth!"

"It's not that simple, Weiss!" Yang countered, lurching to her feet. She hoped that by gaining some height, her words wouldn't fail her.

"Why not?!" Weiss demanded, rightfully so.

The extra height didn't work.

"Because…" Yang said, conflicted. She looked away again, unable to bear the look Weiss was giving her.

"Because… I… You…"

If Yang could have throttled herself, she would have done so right then and there. From blustering her responses to evading Weiss' questions, she was all around one big idiot. What she meant to vocalize didn't come out the way she wanted, and because of that, because of her, Weiss was suffering.

"I… s-see…" Weiss said with a shuddering breath.

Hearing the stutter in her companion's voice, Yang's gaze immediately zoomed in on Weiss again. At the sight of tears pooling in the corner of the ex-heiress' eyes, her breath got caught in her throat and stuck there.

"So it is me after all…" Weiss' said in an almost, inaudible whisper.

No.

No, no, no, no, no! This was not what was supposed to happen. Weiss was not supposed to be looking at her that way. Weiss was not supposed to be saying those words. Weiss was not supposed to be crumbling like this. Yet try as she might to stop all of this from further spiralling out of control, Yang remained unmoving in her spot, watching as Weiss curled in on herself.

Limply setting her half drained teacup down on her chair, Weiss turned towards the sole door to the room without making a sound.

"S-Sorry," the ex-princess murmured, taking one disheartened step after another. "I just thought… I just thought that we…"

Weiss sounded so defeated, she sounded so broken. With her heart also breaking at the same time, Yang silently screamed at herself to move, to shout, to do _something_. But she couldn't. She couldn't do a damn thing. She could do nothing aside from watch as the smaller girl seemingly just shattered in front of her, Weiss' once vibrant blue eyes now dull and lifeless, her tears of pain and agony brimming at the corners of her watery gaze.

Pausing a moment to look back over her shoulder, Weiss forced a smile.

"It w-was good to s-s-see you again, Yang."

Weiss exhaled with a shudder.

"F-Farewell…"

Weiss faced forwards again, and walked.

It hurt.

It hurt so much.

Yang's heartbeat thundered in her ears as she watched Weiss tread towards the door, the white haired girl slowly reaching for the door knob. While her head told her this was how things had to be, Yang's heart was screaming at her. It was screaming for her to stop Weiss, to tell her she didn't mean the things she implied earlier. But even with her heart drowning out her head, Yang's body still refused to move.

This was the right thing to do, wasn't it?

Weiss was a princess, an heiress, albeit a former one, but one nonetheless. And Yang, well, she was just a nobody, a thief, a liar. They came from different worlds, came from different cuts of cloth. Even if these feelings she had for the white haired girl were something more than a silly crush, Weiss probably didn't feel the same way. Weiss probably looked at her as just another peasant, another commoner, just another faceless person below her status. Weiss didn't love her. Not like how Yang did. Which is why she had to let Weiss go. That's why she left Weiss over a month ago. This was the best for the both of them.

Yet, why did it hurt so much?

The sound of the door knob twisting jolted Yang out of her misery, lavender coloured eyes going wide as the door to Blake's personal library swung open in slow motion. As the white haired girl waited for the door to open fully, Yang couldn't but notice just how small Weiss looked in the doorway. The rapier wielder looked so lost, so lonely, so unlike herself, and it was that image which further tore at the already ripping seams of Yang's heart.

The door was wide open now, and Weiss took her first step through.

This was it.

This would be the last time she would ever see Weiss again. Within seconds, the white haired girl would round the corner and walk out of her life forever. There would be no more smiles, no more laughs. There would be no more jokes about gutting fish, no more nights cuddling each other. There would be no more anything. And that bode ill for Yang.

She was moving even before she realized what she was doing.

"Ya-Mpft!"

Crossing the room in five strides, Yang grabbed Weiss by wrist and twirled the former princess around to face her. Not even sparing a second, her lips were on Weiss' own, her affections clumsy but every bit heartfelt. Weiss' lips were soft and sweet and fit perfectly with hers, Yang hungrily tasting them over and over again as the ex-heiress stood rooted in her spot. Only when Weiss kissed her back, just as hungrily, did she get her wits about her, Yang jerking her head backwards, wide-eyed and panting.

"Y-Yang…?" Weiss stuttered, her cheeks flushed, her eyes slightly glazed. "What-"

Yang took a shaky step backwards, absolutely terrified. She could barely breathe. She could barely think. She could barely believe what just happened. One moment she was watching Weiss leave. And in the next, she was kissing her.

"Gods…" she said shakily, taking a step backwards. "What have I done…?"

She ruined it.

Everything they had, everything they built up together, Yang ruined it.

Weiss probably hated her now, the rapier wielder wanting nothing to do with her now. And it was all her fault.

"W-Weiss, I-"

She flinched when a smaller, paler hand grabbed her wrist, Weiss effectively impeding her escape. Had she not been so distraught at this moment, Yang would have laughed at the irony of their role reversal, this not being the first time such a thing happened. But as it was, she was still too panic-stricken at what she had allowed to happen, her thoughts a jumbled mess of apologies and self chastisement.

"Is that why you left?" Weiss said softly, taking a step closer to Yang.

Yang's eyes burned as the ex-heiress gazed at her, searching for something in her eyes. Taking another step backwards, trying to keep the distance between them, she swallowed down the newly formed and painful lump in her throat, Yang searching for an escape. She wouldn't find one, what with her throat constricting and her eyes watering. But even so, she still tried.

"W-Weiss..." she whimpered, her breath hitching in her throat. "I-I can explain-"

Yang's words were cut off by two fingers pressing against her lips.

"Yang," Weiss said, closing the distance between them again, standing up on her tippy toes.

"Just shut up and kiss me again."

Lips crashed together again in an instant, Yang scarcely remembering to breathe before that happened. Somewhere in between slamming the door shut, Yang cupping Weiss' cheeks and Weiss reaching up to run her hands through Yang's hair, the two of them stumbled across the room until Yang's back hit one of Blake's bookshelves, their lips never parting. The impact, while hard enough to send some smaller paperbacks tumbling to the ground, was not felt by either of them, Yang completely lost in the thrall of the Weiss' lips and tongue. Only when her lungs burned did Yang pull away, both she and Weiss left breathless.

"Wow, Weiss..." Yang said at a loss for words. "Where-"

A much needed swallow.

"Where did you learn to kiss like that?"

Red cheeks puffing out indignantly, Weiss quickly buried her face in Yang's neck, the ex-heiress' warm breaths tickling Yang's skin even through her scarf.

"D-Dolt," the white haired girl said, Yang hearing the pout in Weiss' voice. Weiss' arms circled around her back tightly, holding them together. "Stop making fun of me."

Yang laughed, a true and hearty laugh, and it was incredible. She felt so light right now, so incredibly light. It felt as if that invisible weight which had been on her shoulders since leaving Weiss the first time had finally lifted. The dark cloud of misery and sorrow and anger was also gone, now in its place only warmth and happiness and peace. Gods! It felt so good to laugh again, genuine laughter. Not the forced stuff she had been doing for the past month now.

"_Yang,"_ Weiss grumbled, making Yang laugh even more.

Oh how she missed this.

"Gods Weiss! I'm sorry!" she said, bubbly peals escaping her throat. "I swear I'm not making fun of you. I swear!"

More glorious laughter.

"It's just that… It's just..."

With her voice trailing off, Yang wrapped her arms around Weiss' shoulders, pulling the girl's upper body snug against her. Burying her nose in platinum white locks, Yang closed her eyes and just breathed.

"I just…"

She sniffled, the sound filling the quiet room. The wailing downstairs had finally stopped now, leaving only silence. Emotions getting the better of her, tears once forgotten returned to Yang's eyes, her jaw trembling as she sniffled again.

"I just can't believe it, you know?"

This was real. All of it. Yang loved Weiss. And Weiss loved her back.

"You Dunce," Weiss scolded, her tone lacking any bite. Pale hands ran up and down Yang's back, the gesture soothing.

"Why didn't you tell me you were in love with me sooner?" the ex-heiress murmured.

Kissing the top of Weiss' head, Yang squeezed the smaller girl that much tighter.

"I didn't mean to," she said, nuzzling Weiss' hair. Yang really did like Weiss' hair.

"I didn't chase after you to fall in love. It just… sort of -"

"- happened," Weiss finished for her.

Yang nodded.

Reaching up to tuck some loose locks of hair around Weiss' ear, Yang lowered her face to plant a kiss on the former princess' cheek just under her scar.

"And you, Weiss Schnee," she whispered into the ex-heiress' ear. Weiss shivered noticeably at that action, Yang smiling as she rubbed her cheek against Weiss'.

"Why didn't you tell me you were in love with me sooner?"

Swallowing thickly, Weiss planted a kiss on the underside of Yang's chin before resting her head against Yang's collar.

"I could hardly believe it myself," the white haired girl admitted quietly.

Yang rubbed gentle circles on Weiss' back, the former princess sighing in bliss.

"I was a Schnee. I was raised to be the best and to accept nothing less."

Weiss breathed deeply.

"For me to have developed something for my-"

"Savior?" Yang added, smiling cheekily.

Sapphires met lavenders as Weiss pulled back to meet Yang's gaze, an eyebrow raised.

"I was going to say Captor, actually."

"Awww boo," Yang said, pouting. "You're no fun."

Weiss giggled, that melodious sound quickly bringing back Yang's smile in less than a second.

"Oh hush you and let me finish," Weiss chided lightly, amusement clearly seen in those once again brilliant, blue eyes.

"Fine, fine," Yang muttered, but there was no bitterness in her voice. She pulled Weiss against her once more, snuggling the wee former princess. Weiss was so cuddly.

"Now, as I was saying," Weiss started up again, cuddling back. "Before I was so rudely interrupted..."

Yang merely chuckled at that comment, giving the girl a quick peck on the cheek as an apology.

"When I first ran away from the White Castle, all I wanted was to get as far away as possible from that place. As you already know, that didn't turn out so well, those wretched mercenaries finding me, and then you showing up..."

Weiss buried her face in Yang's scarf.

"And then, things as they were, just-"

"- happened," Yang finished for her.

Weiss hummed in agreement, making Yang smile.

Unlike the previous times, when the silence fell this time, it enveloped them like a warm blanket. With neither of them having anything else to say right now, both of them just enjoying the other's company, Yang greedily indulged in Weiss' presence. A month was a long time to do without the smaller girl, and now that everything had finally been sorted out between them (most things, at least), fears and worries also put to rest, Yang was quickly finding fatigue setting in.

"So what happens now?" Weiss murmured after a while, the white haired girl leaning against her more and more. It seemed Yang wasn't the only one feeling spent.

"What do you want to happen now?" Yang murmured back, her eyelids feeling heavy, her shoulders slouching forwards.

"Mmm…" Weiss mumbled, the ex-heiress' grip starting to slacken. "Sleep sounds nice."

While sleep did indeed sound quite heavenly right now, Yang wasn't quite ready for this moment to end just yet.

She chuckled.

"Sleep?" Yang said, Weiss still wrapped up snug in her arms. "Am I really that boring?"

Realizing how she must have sounded, Weiss immediately pulled back to look at Yang, her eyes wide.

"Yang, I didn't mean-"

"Oh!" Yang interrupted, grinning like the cat who ate the canary. "You meant _that_ kind of _sleep_."

It took a moment for her words to sink in, but when they did, Yang watched with great hilarity as Weiss expression morphed from confusion, then to shock, then to surprise, and then to absolute mortification.

"W-What?!" the rapier wielder squawked, Weiss as red as a tomato. "I-"

"Oh Weissy," Yang said, pushing her luck. She batted her eyelids at the sputtering girl. "I never knew you were so bold."

Pulling away from the stunned former princess and leaning back against the bookshelf still at her back, Yang raised a hand to her forehead and pretended to swoon.

"Just be gentle with this virgin body of mine, okay?"

A wink.

If it were at all possible, Weiss' cheeks went even redder, Yang swearing she could literally see steam coming out of the white haired girl's ears.

"W-wha…Y-You... I..."

Leaving Weiss to gape like a fish for the better part of thirty seconds, Yang affectionately wrapped her arms around the ex-heiress' shoulders again and pulled her in for a hug.

"I'm just teasing, Love," she said, giggling. "We can just _sleep_, sleep. For however long you want. Both of us have had a long day."

"Dolt," Weiss pouted, smacking Yang in the shoulder. The hit wasn't so much of a hit as it was a love tap of sorts, but even so, Yang couldn't be grin.

"Ohhh, I love it when you're feisty," she said, earning her another cheek puffing huff.

"Must you always tease me like this?" Weiss grumbled, scowling. Unlike previous times, that look did not instill fear in Yang, only adoration.

She laughed.

"What can I say Princess? You're so much fun to tease."

Weiss pouted again, making Yang want to squeal.

"I'm not a princess anymore," the rapier said, turning her face away. Despite her best efforts, the flush on Weiss' cheeks was clearly visible.

"That's okay," Yang said, releasing Weiss' shoulders in favor of unwrapping the girl's hands from her back and holding them in front of her. Bring them up to her lips, she kissed the back of them, pulling Weiss' gaze back to her.

"Because I fell in love with Weiss," Yang said, smiling. "Not Princess Schnee."

Weiss' cheeks darkened again, the smaller girl shyly looking to the side.

"You better have," the former princess grumbled, Weiss pouting cutely again. "Because I don't like sharing you with anyone else."

Yang blinked at those words, her jaw hanging open. Despite clearly hearing the entirety of that comment, she was having a hard time believing it came from the girl in front of her.

"Oh don't give me that look," Weiss said, snapping Yang out of her shock. "Deny it all you want, but you're no different with me."

Yang opened her mouth to retort, only to close it again a second later. What Weiss had said was true.

"C'mere you," Yang cooed, wrapping her arms around Weiss again. "My wittle, possessive Snowflake."

"Hey!" Weiss exclaimed. "Are you calling me short?"

Despite the insinuated insult, Yang's affections were returned without hesitation.

Yang giggled.

"And if I am?" she said.

Weiss pulled back far enough to look at Yang in the eye.

"Then you're sleeping on the floor," was all Weiss said.

Yang burst out hollering.

Gods! She couldn't get enough of this girl!

"Oh Weiss," she said, Yang burying her face in the curve of the former princess' neck. "You're a girl after my own heart."

Cool hands ran through her hair, Yang sighing at the feel of them.

"Someone has to be," Weiss muttered, the former princess' touch starting to make Yang sleepy again. "The day I allow any of those _heathens_ to lay a hand on you, is the day all of Vytal freezes over."

Her mouth hanging open in shock for the second time in the span of minutes, Yang raised her face from Weiss' shoulder to look at the girl square in the eye.

"W-Weiss…?" she nearly squeaked.

At that sound, Weiss' brow furled immediately.

"Yang?" the smaller girl said. "What-"

Yang sniffled. "Did you… Did you mean what you just said? About V-Vytal freezing over?"

Her fingers curled into the back of Weiss' cloak, Yang clenching her jaw as her lips trembled and eyes watered.

Weiss frowned at her even more.

"Of course I did, Yang. I meant every word."

Running a hand through Yang's hair once more, Weiss tucked an errant lock behind her ear.

"Why would I say something I don't mean?"

She sniffled again.

"It's just that…"

Inhaling shakily, Yang fought against blubbering like a fool.

"It's just that..." she repeated, swallowing down the lump in her throat. "That was the most romantic thing someone has ever said to me before."

Weiss blinked in surprise at that revelation, her lips soon curving into a brilliant smile which made Yang smile too.

"Is that so?" the rapier wielder commented.

Weiss raised a hand to cup Yang's cheek. Unable to do anything but lean into that contact, Yang sighed happily. She was really starting to get addicted to that touch, Weiss just having this way of making her feel like goo.

"Well then," Weiss said, her voice low. "I'll just have to change that, won't I? There's quite a few things I've been wanting to… try out… If you'll let me…"

Yang's cheeks burned hot at that insinuation, for the first time since she could remember, Yang being on the flustered end of the teasing. Glancing away in embarrassment for a moment, she met Weiss' pleased gaze seconds later, the white haired girl now stroking her cheek with her thumb.

"Weiss, I-"

"_Would you two get a room!"_ came a shout from outside of Blake's personal library. _"Preferably any one but the one you're in right now!"_

Yang and Weiss jolted at that unexpected shout, both of them lurching at each other startled, nearly smashing their foreheads together.

"B-B-B-Blake?!" Weiss stammered, her face red from the neck up. Her head was turned away from Yang, wide blue eyes were staring at the library door incredulously.

"Gods damn it Blake!" Yang exclaimed, trying to get her rapidly beating heart under control. She glared at the still closed door while hastily rubbing away her unshed tears with the back of her hand.

"What have I told you about eavesdropping!?"

An audible snort.

_"It's not like I was doing it on purpose!"_ the Faunus shouted back through the door. _"I just came up to tell you dinner was ready, and the two of you were practically gushing through the wall!"_

Absolutely horrified, Weiss buried her face into Yang's scarf, Yang easily feeling the heat emanating off of the ex-heiress' cheeks.

"Fine!" Yang exclaimed back, grumbling. "We know now! Now scram!"

"_Yeah, yeah,"_ was Blake's reply, Yang imagining the Faunus rolling her eyes right about now. _"Just don't be long. Otherwise there'll be none left for either of you."_

As the muffled footsteps headed back downstairs, Yang turned to the embarrassed girl in her arms, Weiss' head still tucked under her chin.

"I can't believe she heard that," Weiss said quietly, pressing her face further into Yang's scarf covered neck. She clutched at the front of Yang's shirt.

Yang laughed.

"Don't mind, Blakey," she said, rubbing Weiss' back. While she was still a bit sour for having their moment interrupted, Yang left things as they were, as nothing could truly be done about it right now. Later however, Yang made a mental note to harass the cat Faunus when she was least expecting it.

"She's just been a grumpy cat since she started eating for two."

"_I heard that!" _came one last shout through the closed, library door.

Yang winced, causing Weiss to laugh.

"There's never a dull moment in this place, is there?" the ex-princess said pulling back to look at Yang.

Yang quickly found herself smiling, one which matched the one Weiss currently sported as she look at her. Pressing her forehead against Weiss', Yang chuckled, closing her eyes as Weiss cupped her cheeks again.

"It's not so bad," Yang said, feeling the white haired girl's breaths on her lips. "Especially now that you're here."

"Why..." Weiss said softly, pushing Yang back into the bookshelf behind her. Yang didn't fight it.

"If I didn't know any better," the ex-heiress continued. "I'd say you were trying to flatter me, Yang Xiao Long."

Yang licked her lips, her arms curling around Weiss' back, preventing her from escaping.

"Is it working?" she whispered.

"Well…" Weiss whispered, leaning in further. "I-"

A noisy gurgle.

Yang went rigid alongside Weiss, the both of them looking down at her stomach.

"Yang…?" Weiss questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Gods damn it," she muttered.

The gods hated her today it seemed. If it wasn't Blake interrupting them, it was her empty stomach.

Geez.

Yang laughed wearily.

"Sorry about that, Weissy," she said, her cheeks darkening. "Sometimes my stomach has a mind of its own. Though, I swore I fed it earlier..."

Yang pouted.

Glaring down at the offending body part, she didn't raise her gaze again until a smaller hand intertwined with her own.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Yang," Weiss said, smiling at her. "I already know how much you like to eat. Did you forget what happened while in the Emerald Forest?"

At the mention of the Emerald Forest, Yang's cheeks went even darker. While not the most graceful of eaters, the amount of times she had utterly and thoroughly embarrassed herself while eating in the presence of her companion was staggering. Thankfully, Weiss took it all in stride, the former princess herself not the most... delicate of eaters. Except when for when bulging fish eyes were involved.

Yang chortled.

"Oh yeah..." she said. "I almost forgot about that."

Scratching the back of her head, Yang allowed herself to be pulled towards the door to Blake's personal library by their intertwined hands. The door was opened in seconds.

"How about we head down now and get something to eat?" Weiss said, her grip on Yang's hand comfortable. "Like yourself, I too am rather famished."

"Awww," Yang whined. She nevertheless let herself be dragged into the hallway, the sounds of chattering, eating children now reaching her ears.

"But we were having a moment."

Another pout.

Lavender coloured eyes widened when a soft kiss was pressed to her cheek.

"And there will be plenty more moments for us to enjoy," Weiss said, her cheeks a soft shade of pink. "But for now, shall we eat, _Firecracker_?"

The grin Yang sported now nearly split her face. While not the most creative of nick names she'd ever heard before, the fact that Weiss was the one to give it to her, well, that was just the most precious thing in the world to Yang. And don't even get her started on Weiss' teasing self right now.

"Yes," Yang said, squeezing Weiss' hand softly. She raised an arm for the white haired girl to take.

"We shall."

Closing the door to Blake's personal library behind them, Yang hummed pleasantly when Weiss took her offered arm, the former princess cozying up next to her. Making their way down the hallway for the stairs, before they could even get halfway down it, Weiss paused, her head turned.

"Hey Yang?" the ex-heiress said, looking at something behind them. "What's down there?"

Following Weiss' line of sight, the smile on Yang's face immediately dropped, a heavy dread settling in her breast.

"Ah… that…" she murmured.

In spite of feeling rather exhausted earlier, there was another reason why Yang didn't want to take Weiss back to her room just yet. But, seeing as how the white haired girl would be now staying (permanently Yang hoped) with them, with her, now was probably no better time than any to finally face the skeletons in her closet.

"How about I show you, Yang said after a moment, swallowing dryly.

Pretending not to notice the concerned look her partner was giving her, Yang guided the ex-heiress' down the hallway in the opposite direction, holding her breath. On the upper floor, aside from Blake's personal book stash and general orphanage storage, there was only one other room on this level. Occupying the far end of the hallway opposite the stairs, a single door marked its location, sunlight seeping across the wooden floor from under the door. Steeling herself for what was to come, Yang gulped down a breath of air before gently tugging her arm out of Weiss' comforting grip.

"Y-You'll have to forgive the mess," she rambled, reaching for the unlocked door and opening it. "I wasn't expecting guests, so…"

Curtains in a lovely dark red colour lined the sole window in the room, the walls painted a golden yellow which was one shade darker than Yang's hair. Despite being sparsely furnished with nothing more than a couple of bed side tables, a bed, and a scratched up dark wood armoire, Yang was very pleased with the decor of her bedroom, something which was reflected in her unabashed wave of her hand as she presented her own peace of solace to the former princess.

"Welcome to my humble abode!" Yang exclaimed dramatically, complete with an over-the-top bow. Weiss giggled at her flourish, and despite that helping ease her nerves somewhat, her jitters still remained.

"It's not much, I know," Yang continued on, standing in the doorway and still very much blocking Weiss' view of her bed. She clenched her hands into fists to stop them from shaking.

"But it works for that I need."

A crooked grin.

Yang watched as Weiss took it all in, the white haired girl marvelling at her simplistic room with the awe of a child. It probably couldn't even begin to compare to what Weiss had before leaving the White Castle, but Yang knew Weiss was not the type to judge on material possessions alone.

"Yang," Weiss said with that beautiful smile of hers. "It's lovely. I-"

Weiss' breath caught in her throat the moment Yang stepped backwards into her bedroom, effectively unblocking the former princess' line of sight.

"Y-Yang…" Weiss choked out. "Is t-that-"

"Yeah," she said, her smile strained as she met the rapier wielder's shocked gaze.

Backing up all the way to her bed, Yang sat down at the edge of it, pulling back the blanket slightly. On top of her brown blanket was a smaller, maroon blanket, a child's blanket, the two articles ensuring the sleeping little one with short brown hair kept warm. Tucking a stray lock of hair behind the child's ear, Yang turned back to the still stunned Weiss, fighting to keep the tears pooled in the corner of her eyes from falling.

"Weiss," she said her voice cracking.

A shuddering breath.

"Meet Ruby, my baby sister."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**__ I think by far, this is the worst cliffhanger I've done for this story yet. Lol. Now before you all freak out about it, be patient. It will be all (mostly) explained in the next (and hopefully final) chapter. XD_

_To teach the kids a lesson, aka not snacking on cookies before dinner, Adam used one of Blake's Shadow Kat potions in his prank. It is a purple potion I didn't bother giving a name to. What it does however is akin to a pepper bomb going off. Or something like a tear gas grenade. Lol._

_For those of you curious, Blake and Adam's room is on the main floor, next to the communal bedroom all the orphans share. Yang's bedroom is the only one upstairs._

_Kats are a type of Faunus that have cat-like features. They are agile, stealthy, and fast. They are kind of like alchemists of sorts in this story. If this was a true fantasy story, they would be the elves. A Shadow Kat is like a dark elf._

_The Taurus are a type of Faunus, ones with horns. They are naturally stronger than other Faunus and Humans. They are kind of like blacksmiths/weapon makers/mechanics of sorts in this story. If this was a true fantasy story, they would be the dwarves._

_Faunus in this story represent the different races in normal fantasy stories such as dwarves and elves. All non-human races are Faunus in this story._

_**Heads up everyone! As I will be taking a two week vacation next month (I'll be attending RTX and taking some time off), there is a high chance the next chapter will be delayed. I'll do my best to keep things on schedule, but I just wanted to warn you all in advance. Keep an eye out on my profile page for any updates.**_


	23. Once Upon a Time

**The Princess' Rogue**

_**A/N**__: And the final chapter is here! I'm sure this time. Lol. Check out the Author's Notes at the end for some special notes. _

_Due to the nature of this chapter, expect some OoCness from our favorite characters. _

_There's also some mild language in this chapter. Just a warning._

_Despite my best efforts, this chapter is still not to my liking. I apologize for any rough edges. While I could have delayed it further, I chose not to, otherwise it would have been postponed indefinitely due to burnout. I hope you enjoy the read nonetheless! :)_

_For those of you who left unsigned reviews, see my replies below:_

_ Annon – Thanks for the review. :) Prankster!Adam is great, is he not? XD I'm glad you liked the chapter. ^^_

_ Badassfox – Thanks for the review. :) This was definitely one of the harder chapters I've had to write because it was such an emotional rollercoaster. But of course, it was all worth it in the end, fluff and all. XD Gotta love Blake at the end though. Hehe. As for Ruby, well, you'll just have to wait and see what happens in this next chapter. :P_

_ Concerned anon – Thanks for the comment. :) I can understand your concern, as other people have voiced the same thing previously. That said, before you decide if this is all crap, I suggest you read this chapter first. ;) I can't say that you will absolutely love this next chapter, but if you do, great! If not, thanks for taking the time to read this far. I appreciate it nonetheless. ^^_

_**Disclaimer**__: The characters and the worlds I write in do not belong to me. The stories that I write are intended for entertainment purposes. I do not make any money from them._

* * *

><p>*** ~ <span>Chapter 23: Once Upon a Time<span> ~ ***

When Yang awoke, she was surprised at how rested and refreshed she felt. For the entire month leading up to now, getting a good night's rest seemed a thing of fairy tales. Yang barely slept at all during that time, leaving her to trudge through the following days in what appeared to be a permanent state of lethargy. But now, now she was awake, truly so, the fog of restlessness and exhaustion finally gone.

Sitting upright in bed, Yang rubbed her eyes, an audible yawn escaping her lips. Taking a moment to blink, lavender coloured eyes drank up the surroundings with sharp clarity, Yang revelling in the sights. With the growing light of the morning shining through her open bedroom curtains, a gentle breeze blew the fabrics this way and that, the sun slowly making its way up into the sky. It wouldn't be long before the pre-dawn chill was burned away by the sun's light, the birds already out and about, along with the rest of the woodland animals which graced this area.

Raising her arms over her head, her shoulders popping as she stretched, Yang turned to look at the other resting in bed with her. Like it had been for almost fifteen years now, Ruby Rose slumbered on peacefully, completely oblivious to the world around her, the child's soft breaths constant and unwavering. Day after day, year after year, the little girl slept, no matter what Yang tried, leaving the rogue to wonder what her sister often dreamt about. If Ruby dreamed at all, that is. Did one actually dream when frozen in time?

Pulling the blanket aside and sliding her legs off the bed, Yang shivered slightly the moment her feet touched the cool floor. Not bothering to search for her socks, she stood up, the blonde only pausing when she caught sight of a new addition to her bed side table. A surface that was once bare was now decorated with a plain white vase, a single, blossoming rose filling it. It was the most beautiful thing Yang had ever seen in years, that same beauty enticing the brawler to touch the flower's delicate petals, her fingers trembling as she did so.

Ruby always loved roses. Heck! Her sister's last name was named after the flower! But she never told Weiss that. While Blake could have just as easily left this lovely gift behind, Yang knew for a fact it wasn't the Faunas. Blake never visited Yang's room, even when given permission, the Shadow Kat overly respectful of Yang's personal space to a fault, the Faunus' husband the same. Weiss had been the only one she had ever willingly brought up here since the trio moved into the orphanage, something which demonstrated just how much Yang trusted the former princess in spite of how they initially met.

"Weiss?" Yang murmured, pulling her gaze away from the rose.

Getting no answer, nor finding the white haired girl within the confines of her room, Yang finally realized why she woke up in the first place. Something was missing, or rather, someone. Someone with pearl white hair and sparkling blue eyes.

"I'll be right back, Sis," Yang said, leaning over the bed to kiss Ruby on the forehead. "Gonna make sure Weissy isn't getting herself into trouble, you know?"

Sending her sister a half smile, Yang curiously noted the healthy colour in Ruby's cheeks, the little one also feeling a bit warmer than usual. Quickly dismissing those observations as a simple trick of the light and her own naturally warmer Aura rubbing off the sleeping child, Yang pulled up the blankets on Ruby, leaving the girl's arms resting over top of the fleecy fabrics. Tucking a lock of hair around her her sister's ear, Yang made her way around the bed for the door, taking one last fleeting glance over her shoulder. Satisfied all was well, Yang walked through the doorway in search of her missing partner, at the same time missing the slight curling of small fingers against the brown blanket.

* * *

><p><em>~ Cat's Cradle Orphanage. Yesterday Evening. ~<em>

"Weiss," Yang said, her jaw clenching as she fought back tears. "Meet Ruby, my baby sister."

Weiss stood frozen in the doorway to Yang's room, her eyes wide, a hand covering her mouth as she stared. While that reaction was not unexpected, given what Yang had just revealed to her, Weiss' silence was still painfully suffocating. A second turned into two, which turned into ten, and before Yang knew it, a full minute had passed, the two of them still trapped in this inescapable quiet. Hands balled into white knuckled fists at her side, the continuing muteness chipping away at Yang's soul. Even though she knew Weiss wasn't the type of person to abandon people – or more specifically her – after something this big came up, Yang couldn't stop her doubts from overwhelming her.

"I…"

Yang flinched at the sound of Weiss' voice, those words pulling her from her spiralling thoughts. Looking up at the former princess, Yang grimaced at Weiss's utterly confused and lost expression.

"I don't understand," the white haired girl said. Weiss wrung her hands tightly in front of her. "I thought… I thought that Ruby was-"

"Dead?" Yang finished her.

The rapier wielder nodded, Weiss finally turning to look at Yang for the first time since Ruby's reveal.

Reluctantly meeting her partner's gaze, Yang couldn't hold back her laughter which spilled from her lips. Unlike the laughter she shared earlier, the joyous and happy kind, these utterances were hollow and empty, even to her own ears. Weiss flinched noticeably at Yang's pain made vocal, the blonde sympathizing with the white haired girl.

"Sometimes..." Yang started, her voice quickly trailing off. "Sometimes... I think that might have been better..."

Weiss went rigid in an instant, the rapier wielder's eyes widening in shock.

"Yang!" the ex-heiress exclaimed. "Surely you can't mean-"

"And why not?!" Yang snapped back, rising to her feet, her eyes flickering red.

Despite the clear shock and surprise evident on her face, Weiss did not falter, the white haired girl staring Yang down even with the blonde now towering over her.

"You don't know what it was like Weiss! You weren't here! You didn't have to watch as your little sister, your Ruru, slept for years, never growing old, never opening her eyes again, no matter how much you pleaded to the gods for it to be so!"

Breaths came out in ragged gasps, tightly clenched fists trembling as Yang fought to reel in her anger, her frustration. Gritting her teeth, Yang turned to face her slumbering sister again, the fury flooding her veins quickly dying at the sight of the small child.

"At least if she was d-dead..." Yang said, her voice unnaturally quiet. "Then she w-would be with our parents at peace. And she would b-be happy. W-Wouldn't she?"

Her shoulders slumping forwards, Yang sank back down to sit on the bed again, her head in her hands, her hair forming a curtain of gold around her face.

"H-How can she b-be h-h-happy like this?" the rogue sobbed. "How c-could anyone c-call this happiness? This is not l-living. This is... this is torture..."

Yang hiccuped as the bed on her left dipped down slightly, Weiss soon wrapping her up in her arms from the side. Allowing herself to be pulled towards the white haired girl, Yang quickly found herself burying her face in Weiss' shoulder, wrapping her arms around the rapier wielder's waist and holding the smaller girl tightly.

"Yang…" Weiss murmured into her hair, her voice both soothing and hesitant.

"I j-just m-m-miss her, y-you know?" she cried, Yang's tears being absorbed by Weiss' shirt. "S-S-She... I d-don't want lose h-her again. B-But I d-don't w-w-want her h-hurting either."

Weiss held her that much tighter, the former princess rubbing gentle circles on Yang's back.

"I understand, Yang," Weiss said, nuzzling against her. "You love Ruby very much. She's your precious little sister."

Finding solace in her companion's embrace, Yang quickly found her tears lessening, her trembling also fading. Curling her fingers into Weiss' shirt, her fists clutched at the fabric, Yang intentionally sunk into the ex-heiress' hug further, very much liking how well they fit together.

"But you're not alone anymore," Weiss continued, the white haired girl pressing a kiss to Yang's hair. "I'm here with you now. And so is Blake. And Adam. Everything will be alright. You'll see."

"How can you be so sure though?" Yang asked, feeling much calmer now and not so distraught. Weiss naturally had that effect on her, the rapier wielder in all her entirety acting like a balm for Yang's wounded soul.

"We'll figure things out, somehow," was Weiss' reply.

Yang sighed happily as a small hand ran through her hair.

"Even if I don't find him again?" the rogue asked, her voice muffled.

The hand in her hair paused.

"Him?" Weiss echoed, the ex-heiress shifting to look down at Yang.

Yang blinked at the sudden change in Weiss' posture, it taking a moment before she realized what was going on.

"Oh right," she sniffled, pulling out of the former princess's embrace to sit up straight again. Rubbing away the trail of tears on her cheeks, Yang gave Weiss a pained smile.

"You don't know."

Already missing the warmth which came from their shared hug, Yang inhaled shakily as she sought to order her thoughts. The hand on her arm was a welcome encouragement, Yang reaching out to intertwine her fingers with Weiss'.

"The night I thought Ruby d-died..." she said shakily, Yang's lip trembling as memories of that night came back to her in a flurry.

"Yang," Weiss said, placing her free hand on top of their joined ones. "If this is too much, you don't have to tell me anything-"

"No!" Yang exclaimed, shaking her head vehemently. "I want to tell you!"

A shuddering breath.

"Y-You deserve to know what h-happened," Yang said, her eyes watering.

Pursing her lips together tightly, blue eyes so full of conflict, Weiss nodded, the ex-princess patting Yang's hand.

"Okay Yang," Weiss said. "Okay. Just know, if at any time you just want to stop, you can. You don't have to tell me any more than you want to. Alright?"

Yang gave the rapier wielder a watery smile.

"Thanks Weissy," she said, pulling Weiss into a hug with her free arm. "Thanks for being so good to me."

A chuckle.

"That's supposed to be my line, Dolt."

Yang craned her head back enough to meet Weiss' gaze.

"But I'm _your_ Dolt. Am I right?"

Weiss blinked at that comment before a smile stretched across her lips and she rolled her eyes. Grinning, the white haired girl surprised Yang with a peck on the lips, Yang's mouth hanging open in shock at that sign of affection.

"My Dolt," Weiss said, brushing away Yang's unshed tears. "Only mine."

Yang's heart would have melted at those four simple words had it not have already. Pulling the smaller girl flush against her again, Yang hugged Weiss for all that she was worth, her eyes blurring with tears once more as she buried her face in platinum white locks.

Had someone told her a year ago she'd fall in love with one of her bounties, Yang would have laughed at them. Had the same person said it would be the Princess of all of Vytal no less, that the white haired girl would willingly throw herself in harm's way to protect her, at that point, Yang would have nodded her head and pretended to believe them, before beelining it out of there to escape the crazy person who was clearly delusional. Yet here they were, a year later, a former princess and a supposedly dead rogue. Together. Both completing the other.

So Yang told her.

Yang told Weiss about the wizard and his apprentice, about how they found them the night Yang thought Ruby had died. She told her how she had begged the man to save her sister, that she would have willingly given up her soul if that was the price to pay. Yang told Weiss, that in spite all of his power, Yang later learning the wizard to be Ozpin the Wise, one of the greatest wizards to ever walk this very earth, that the wizard could not heal Ruby. They would not be abandoned however, not like how many others had turned a blind eye to them already.

Despite his limitations, Ozpin did help them, the wizard casting some sort of spell on the dying redhead. When asked, he said he was giving Ruby the time she needed to heal herself, that the small child would rest comfortably until then, without pain, and without despair. Up until this day, Yang still didn't know what he had done to her sister, the wizard and his apprentice soon leaving them both with the Belladonnas, friends of theirs, before disappearing altogether.

Once of age, Yang searched for them everywhere after that, desperately searching for answers, but all she found was dead ends and empty leads. It was as if the wizard and his apprentice had completely disappeared off the face of the world, or perhaps, they just had never existed in the first place. And for the next fourteen years, that's how things stayed, Ruby dead asleep, Yang eventually giving up hope of ever having her sister awake again.

For the rest of the night, they continued on this way, Yang sharing stories of her past, Weiss silently listening to them all. Every so often, their roles would switch, Weiss speaking of her fondest memories, and ones not so nice. Sometime in between twilight and dawn the two of them would fall asleep, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up to them. And while Yang wouldn't exactly remember when unconsciousness took her, she would always remember the feeling of peace she had that night, the burden of her past life finally gone.

* * *

><p><em>~ Back to the Present ~<em>

"Weiss, I can't accept this."

It only took Yang a few minutes to find who she was looking for.

"Why not?" Weiss' voice echoed down the hallway, the former princess' tone as sharp as ever. "Is there something wrong with it?"

Despite being a rather large dwelling, the Cat's Cradle Orphanage only had so many rooms in it, most of which were used for sleeping. So when Yang ducked her head into the storage room, the kids' sleeping room, and the playroom, and saw nothing of her quarry, that left only one other place her target could be.

"No," the other with Weiss replied, a familiar calm to their voice. It was Blake.

"There's nothing wrong with it. It's just that..."

Yang raised an eyebrow at Blake's hesitation. In all her years of knowing the Faunus, this was one of the few times Yang had heard the Shadow Kat sound so torn. Just what the heck were they talking about?

"I just can't accept this," Blake said, just as Yang rounded the corner into the kitchen.

"You can't accept what?" she echoed, the rogue stifling a yawn with her hand.

At her entrance, Blake and Weiss tore their gazes away from the object in question to look at her, Yang quickly finding her heart speeding up in her chest the moment her gaze landed on Weiss. Sitting at the sole table in the kitchen, Blake was garbed in her typical monochrome outfit, the one with the white blouse and black skirt. Opposite the Faunas and standing on the other side of the table was Weiss. But unlike usual, the ex-heiress was not in her own clothes. Instead, she was wearing Yang's, one of Yang's long sleeved yellow shirts and an old pair of Yang's pants which had gotten a bit too small for her.

Yang's jaw went slack, the conversation between Blake and Weiss now forgotten.

"Yang," Weiss said, the white haired girl's smile filling Yang's chest with warmth.

"Did you rest well?"

It took her a moment to realize she was being talked to, Yang staring mutely at Weiss' beauty all the while. Couple that with Weiss being snuggly hugged by her clothes (Gods! Weiss was wearing in her clothes!), and well, all things considered, Yang was surprised she was still coherent enough to remain standing.

A chuckle.

At that sound, Yang's attention reluctantly wandered over to the smirking Shadow Kat sitting at the kitchen table.

"Oh, I'm sure Yang rested just fine," the Faunus said, her amber coloured eyes filled with mirth. "That said, I'm not quite sure she's all that awake yet."

"Pfft! What are ya talking about, Blakey?" Yang nearly snorted, finally recovering her wits about her. "Of course I'm awake! I'm talking to you right now, ain't I?"

"Yang," the Faunas deadpanned. "You're drooling."

Yang's hand went up to her face in an instant, the back of her knuckles rubbing against her chin. To her relief, there was no such proclaimed moisture on her chin, and upon realizing that, lavender coloured eyes glared at the now laughing Blake.

"Not funny, Blakey," Yang said, all bark but no bite. She pouted. "Not funny at all."

"I'm sorry, Yang," the Shadow Kat said in between her giggles.

"No you're not," Yang said, grumbling some more. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"You're right," Blake replied, a Cheshire grin stretched across her lips. "I'm not. You're just so much fun to tease."

Opening her mouth to retort, another giggle sounded, this time one of a higher pitch, making Yang turn to Weiss instead.

"Now where have I heard that before?" the white haired girl commented, a hand covering her mouth as she tried to smother her laughter.

Yang couldn't but smile at that sight, the blonde still remembering their first meeting all those months ago. At that time, the former princess had been so prickly, so rigid, a stark and complete opposite to Yang herself. That often led to their… more heated conversations, at times, both of them ready to wring the other's neck. Weiss had since come a long way from their initial meeting, over the course of their journey the white haired girl reviving Yang's own heart and spirit on top of her own. And here she was still doing it, Yang ever so thankful to have come across the ex-heiress when she did.

Not to be outdone by her two laughing kitchen companions, Yang smirked mischievously when an idea formed in her mind. Giving them an extra two seconds of laughter, she shamelessly threw herself at the unsuspecting and still giggling Weiss Schnee, Yang relishing the warmth the smaller girl exuded as she promptly wrapped her arms around the startled girl.

"Weeeeiiissssss!" Yang exclaimed, hanging off of Weiss' shoulder and whining. "Blake's being mean to me! Make her stoooooooooooop!"

Unprepared for the sudden extra weight, Weiss stumbled backwards a few steps upon impact, an adorable squeak escaping her throat. Yet even after the both of them nearly wiped out on the floor in a tangle of limbs, Weiss' grip on Yang did not falter.

"What in the gods is wrong with you?!" Weiss exclaimed, a noticeable rouge blossoming on her cheeks. The moment she got her footing back, a familiar looking scowl fixed itself upon the white haired girl's face, one which made Yang's smile go even wider.

"I could have dropped you!"

Happily nuzzling against the wee former princess, Yang buried her face in Weiss' shoulder for a moment before pulling back to talk again.

"But you didn't," Yang said, grinning like a maniac. "Do you know why?"

Weiss said nothing as she looked at her expectantly.

"Because," Yang began, leaning in real close to Weiss' face. Her breath ghosted across the ex-heiress lips.

Weiss swallowed thickly.

"I knew that no matter what happened, you'd always catch me if I fell."

Yang couldn't be more pleased with herself at Weiss' reaction, the former princess' mouth hanging open in shock. Shock soon turned into embarrassment, the flush which coloured Weiss' cheeks standing out even more now, due to the girl's fair complexion. Huffing as she looked to the side, avoiding Yang's gaze, Weiss scowled in an attempt to hide her flaming blush.

"D-Dolt," the rapier wielder mumbled, pouting.

Yep. Yang still had it.

"I love you too, Snowflake."

Leaning forward to press a kiss to Weiss' cheek, Yang quickly froze in her spot the moment a groan sounded from the kitchen table.

"Please don't start that again," Blake pleaded, the cat Faunus with a hand to her head. "It was bad enough I nearly walked in on you two last night."

Not very impressed with that interruption, Yang rolled her eyes as she stood up properly again, relieving Weiss of her extra weight.

"Oh be quiet kitty cat," she said, giving the pregnant girl a look. "It's not like I haven't walked in on you and lover boy doing the frickity-frack before. This is tame compared to that."

The moment those words left Yang's mouth, Blake went beet red, the flush on the Shadow Kat's cheeks easily outmatching the one on Weiss'.

"Y-Yang!" Blake sputtered, absolutely mortified.

Between the two of them, both of them knew exactly which incident Yang was referring to, that minor occurrence happening on a day similar to this one, just two weeks ago. Weiss looked back and forth between Yang and Blake, her eyes wide and her mouth open.

"That was one time!" the cat Faunas exclaimed in her defense, the Shadow Kat gripping at the edge of the table tightly. "And it's not like we got very far before you waltzed in!"

"Riiiiiiiiight," Yang drawled, turning to face the white haired girl in her arms.

"When I walked in on them before," she began. "Blakey had her hand on lover boy's-"

"Yang!"

Lien clattered against wood as Blake lurched forward from her seat, trying to swipe at Yang across the table. Having miscalculated the distance in her rush to shut up the blabbering blonde, the Faunus' swollen stomach bumped into the table edge, sending the small leather pouch already on the table, filled to the brim with coins, spilling lien all over the top of it.

"Huh?" Yang said mid evade, her gaze drawn downwards at the noise. "What's this?"

Picking up the square shaped currency, Yang flipped the coin around in her hand, inspecting it. To her surprising, she found herself staring at a hundred lien coin.

"Right. That," Blake said, the black haired girl ever so thankful for the change in subject. The Faunus sat down in her chair again, straightening out her skirt.

"That is your girlfriend's doing," Blake so boldly put it.

Turning to Weiss in astonishment, Yang couldn't but notice how cute the white haired girl was being right now, Weiss still blushing something fierce, her hands clasped together shyly in front of her.

"Weiss…?" Yang said. "What is Blake talking about?"

Taking a moment to compose herself, Weiss pulled at the edge of Yang's borrowed shirt before speaking.

"Well," the ex-princess began. Weiss swallowed nervously. "Considering I'll be staying here from now on, it was only... fair that I start paying for my share of things."

Looking down at the bag of spilt lien again, Yang did a quick estimate in her head. If her rough numbers were correct, _rough_ being the key word here, she guessed there to be almost one thousand lien on the table, if not more. That was more than adequate to cover the orphanage's costs for the next six months, especially as the orphanage grew a great deal of their fresh produce out back to save on that expense.

Usually, when things got tight, they would sell any excess fruits and vegetables they grew in the market, Adam often taking on odd jobs around town to make up for any shortfall they had. Even then, it didn't guarantee ends met. But now, looking at the sheer amount of coin on the table, falling short wouldn't be so much of an issue, at least for the next little while, and they all had Weiss to thank for that.

"How did... How did you even get all of this…?" Yang asked, the rogue at a loss for words. There were a few theories floating around her head as to how the former princess acquired this money, some less savoury than others. It wasn't until Weiss tucked some stray locks of hair around her ear did Yang make the connection, and when she did, she could barely believe it.

"You pawned your crown?" Yang said, flabbergasted.

Weiss huffed indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That hair piece could hardly be called a crown," the former princess said, her tone one of annoyance. "But if you're asking me if I relinquished my accessory, then the answer is yes. Apparently, pure silver is in really high demand right now, and the alchemist in town was more than willing to compensate me for it. After some gentle persuasion, that is."

Yang's mouth opened and closed a few times, no words coming out.

"But …" she managed once she got her words back. "That was-"

"A reminder from another time and another life," Weiss finished for her, the tartness from her expression fading. "It has absolutely no use to me now, and quite frankly, I've been meaning to get rid of that gaudy bauble for some time."

"Weiss…" Yang said, her lips pressed together in a fine line, her brows furling. Reaching upwards, she held onto the white hair girl's shoulders, squeezing gently.

"You didn't have to do this," the rogue said softly, trembling. "You know that, right?"

Weiss cupped Yang's cheeks with both hands, Yang unable to do anything else aside from leaning into the touch.

"I know," Weiss said.

Small thumbs caressed the skin of Yang's cheeks.

"But I wanted to."

Breaking eye contact with Yang for a moment, Weiss turned to look at Blake, the Shadow Kat having been silent throughout this entire exchange.

"I know I haven't been here all too long," Weiss began, the white haired girl giving the Faunus a lopsided smile. "But even so, I'm not blind. It takes lien to keep a place like this going, just like it takes lien to put food on the table, and to keep clothes on the little ones' backs."

The ex-heiress turned back to Yang again.

"That's why you became a rogue, isn't it?" Weiss asked. "Not only to find Ozpin again, but to earn enough coin to make sure none of the children suffered outside on the streets like you did. Isn't that right?"

Yang sniffled lightly, nodding her head as her eyes burned with tears.

"But even so," Blake said, drawing Weiss' attention back to her again. "Weiss, this is just too much."

"Nonsense," Weiss retorted, the former princess shaking her head at the pregnant Faunus. "This is only the start. You better not expect me to sit back and dally my time away while the rest of you work yourselves to the bone. Because that's not going to happen, I assure you. If that means on some days I'll be rolling around outside in the muck to help keep things moving along, then it is what it is."

Lavender coloured eyes were wide when Yang met Blake's equally surprised gaze, neither of them saying anything for a few seconds, causing the rapier wielder to look between them in confusion.

"What?" Weiss asked, frowning slightly. "What did I say?"

Getting her wits about her, Yang rubbed the smaller girl's shoulders a few times, earning her Weiss' attention again.

"Weiss," she began, looking away to find her words. "It's just that…"

Gathering up her courage, Yang looked at Weiss straight in the eye, inhaling shakily.

"Am I dreaming?"

This was a dream. This had to be a dream. There was no way all of this was actually happening. Weiss actually here and staying at her side? Like that was really happening. Almost a thousand lien sitting on the table, enough to cover their costs for the next few months? Too good to be true! Weiss practically demanding to be allowed to pull her own weight in this place? Surely the gods were messing with her again!?

Surprised by Yang's question, Weiss silently watched her for a moment, the former princess' eyebrows raised. And then she was laughing, the melody of that sweet sound making the butterflies which had previously manifested inside of Yang's stomach flutter about even more. In spite of travelling with the girl for months, Yang had yet to hear a more pleasing sound. Sure there were a few times she caught the rapier wielder chuckling, giggling even, but never had Yang heard Weiss express her joy like that before. Quickly deciding that was her new favorite sound in the entire world, Yang silently vowed to hear a lot more of it, even if it meant she had to make a fool out of herself to do so. Then Weiss leaned in close, the ex-heiress nearly whispering, making Yang realize there were other things she wanted as well, just as much.

"Does this feel like a dream to you?" her companion said, Weiss' voice soft and smooth like silk.

A low moan escaped her throat as Weiss kissed her breathless, Yang's hands somehow finding their way under the back of Weiss' shirt during that time, Weiss' arms also curling around her neck. It was a fierce battle of tongues as they remained joined at the lips, and much to Yang's surprise, it was her who drew back first for air after nearly a minute without it.

"Seriously Weiss," she panted, Yang licking her lips while trying to make sense of everything. "Where did you learn how to kiss like that?"

Having the decency to blush, Weiss buried her face in Yang's scarf covered neck, the white haired girl mumbling as she spoke.

"There were these… books…" came the ex-heiress's muffled voice. Yang fought to suppress a shiver as Weiss' words tickled her neck.

"... In the White Castle's library," Weiss continued, burying herself further into Yang's throat. "V-Very... explicit books that-"

"Wait!"

Both Yang and Weiss flinched at that shout, Yang jerking her head towards the nearly forgotten third person in the room with them, Weiss turning just enough to peek at the Shadow Kat from under the rogue's chin.

"Before you say or _do_ anything further," Blake said, a noticeable flush on her cheeks. "I'm going to leave."

Despite the calm which marked the pregnant Faunus' face, it was clearly a strained calm, Blake miserably failing to conceal the colour blossoming across her skin. Deftly going about her business of gathering up the lien on the table and putting the coins back in the leather pouch they came in, the black haired girl quickly made her way to the kitchen doorway once that was done, Blake pausing briefly to address them one final time.

"While I am very happy for the both of you," Blake said, specifically looking at Yang. "Please try to keep your affections down to a minimum. That is, if you choose to continue them here. If the little ones catch you in the act, it will be on you to explain to them where babies come from. That goes for you too, Weiss."

"Says the one who'll have to do that anyways when she pops in a few months," Yang muttered under her breath.

Yang rolled her eyes at the Faunus, despite knowing full well Blake would make due on her threat. Having lived with the Shadow Kat for as long as she had, if there was anything she had learned about the black haired girl, it was to take her threats seriously. Frail looking as she might appear, Blake was as fierce as a black panther when she was ready, and just as cunning. And if Blake said she'd leave you to explain the birds and the bees to the kiddies, that is exactly what Blake would do.

"What was that?" the Shadow Kat said, an eyebrow raised.

"I said," Yang began, in spite of the gleam in Blake's eyes which told her the black haired girl had indeed heard what she had previously said. "That I promise not to deflower the princess until after we get to my room. Happy now?"

"D-Deflower?" Weiss squawked, the white haired girl blushing something fierce as she gawked at Yang.

"Much," Blake said in response to Yang's question, the pregnant Faunus dipping her head in acknowledgement. "I'll be sure to hold you to that, _Firecracker_."

Lavender coloured eyes widened at mention of her nickname, Yang unable to stop the darkening of her cheeks. At the sly grin now crossing her friend's face, she scowled, Yang silently cursing whichever god decided it was a good idea to give Faunus their insane hearing.

"And Weiss?" Blake said, turning her focus on the white haired girl in Yang's arms.

"Y-Yes?" the former princess responded, hesitant.

Her expression softening, Blake gave the former princess a small smile.

"Speaking on behalf of Adam and the children, thank you for this," the Shadow Kat said, nodding to the bulging lien purse in her hands. "Despite my earlier reservations, this will help the orphanage greatly. We are in your debt."

"Blake," Weiss said, untangling herself from Yang's arms. The ex-heiress turned to face the Faunus. "There is no need to thank me. This is the least I can do to repay you for your hospitality. It is I who is in your debt."

In a move which surprised both Yang and Blake, Weiss put a hand over her chest and bowed to the black haired girl.

"Thank you for taking care of Yang," Weiss continued. "All this time."

Yang raised a hand to her face, the rogue sniffling softly as she brushed unshed tears from her eyes. She knew she was being a sap right now, but when Weiss said things like that, how could she not? The love heard in the former princess' voice was unmistakeable, Weiss genuinely meaning her words. And it was knowing that which had Yang fighting back tears, knowing that someone truly cared for her like that, Weiss loving Yang for being Yang, flaws and all. While Blake and Adam accepted her, and cared for her, they did not love Yang like Weiss did.

A chuckle.

"Please Weiss," Blake said, causing the former princess to raise her head. "You don't need to thank me. Despite all the trouble she causes, I will always care for Yang. And Adam. And the kids. And now you. Do you know why?"

When Weiss looked back at her, Yang could only shrug her shoulders in response to the white haired girl's silent question.

"It's because we're family," the Faunus explained when the focus fell back on her. "And that's just something families do. So please, no more bowing. The only ones you should be bowing to are your gods."

It was during times like these where Yang realized how lucky she was. Watching as Blake accepted Weiss into the family, seeing the two of them get along despite their backgrounds and upbringings, Yang couldn't but marvel at how things just fell into place, especially in these last few days.

"Though," Blake added as an afterthought. "If you wanted to smack Yang for me every so often to keep her in line, I wouldn't be opposed. Gods already know she won't listen to me."

"Hey! That's not true!" Yang objected, the rogue pouting as Blake laughed again. "I listen to you all the time, Blakey! What are you-"

"What about the time I told you not to tease Lord Port's pet warthog?"

"That was not my fault!" Yang exclaimed. "I was like, what? Ten? Besides, how could I not tease it with a name like Lord Pigglesworth?"

"And the time I told you not to pick flowers from Lady Peach's garden?" the Faunus queried.

"How was I supposed to know those flowers only bloomed once every ten years?" Yang said. "They were pretty and I still needed to get you something for your birthday!"

"So you picked our neighbour's flowers to give to me?" Blake said, raising an eyebrow.

Yang flushed, pouting even more as she crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to meet the Shadow Kat's gaze.

"It's the thought that counts, isn't it?" she mumbled.

At the sound of a high pitched giggle, Yang's embarrassment and annoyance quickly dissipated, the rogue's eyes drawn to a very cute looking Weiss. That was the second time in less than an hour she had made Weiss laugh (whether intentional or not), and Yang couldn't have been more proud of herself for it.

"Don't worry, Blake," Weiss said, resting a hand on Yang's right forearm. "I'll keep her out of trouble for you. It shouldn't be too hard, all things considered."

Smiling and not caring that a certain ex-princess was poking fun at her, Yang wrapped Weiss up in her arms again, nuzzling against the white haired girl's hair. If getting made fun of allowed her to always hold Weiss like this, Yang would allow it all the time.

"Thank you, Weiss," Blake said, an appreciative smile directed at the rapier wielder. "I am truly relieved to know Yang is in your hands. Speaking of which, I should seriously get going now, before the two of you… you know… decide to get more _hands on_."

"Oh stop it, Blakey!" Yang laughed, feeling Weiss bury her face in her shoulder in embarrassment. Despite being very proud of her childhood friend for that pun, she wasn't about to let the sword wielder get away with teasing her girlfriend. Not without a fight, that is.

"You make us sound like rabbits," Yang continued, rubbing Weiss' shoulders as the white haired girl's cheeks flamed red. "We're not that bad, you know. Not unlike you and a certain bull Faunus who gets it on anywhere they can find, including-"

"Yang!" Blake exclaimed, her cheeks a nice rosy colour.

Yang grinned cheekily.

"Bye bye Blakey," she said, waving at the flustered Faunus. "Try not to spend that all in one place, you hear me?"

Rolling her eyes, Blake shook her head before taking her leave for real this time. Despite the abruptness of her departure, there was no bad blood between them, Yang catching sight of the Shadow Kat's smirk as Blake spun around to leave.

"Just remember what I said," the black haired girl commented as she walked out of the kitchen and rounded the corner into the hallway. "Behave yourselves you two. I mean it! Nothing below the belt!"

"No promises, Blakey!" Yang shouted back, much to Weiss' chagrin. "Weissy here can be quite the animal when she's ready! Just yesterday she-mphft!"

"I'll make sure we won't bother the kids," Weiss said, a hand firmly clamped down over Yang's mouth.

"Thanks Weiss," came Blake's amused voice down the hallway. "I'm thankful that at least one of you is the sensible one. Lunch will be ready in a few hours. I'll see you two then."

Now with only the two of them left, Yang smirked as she parted her lips and licked the palm of Weiss' hand. The former princess' reaction was instant, Weiss yanking her hand away from Yang's mouth as if burned.

"Disgusting Yang!" the white haired girl said, wiping her palm on Yang's shirt.

Yang just grinned.

"That's not what you said earlier when you couldn't resist getting a taste."

Puffing out her cheeks indignantly, Weiss glared at Yang, though the former princess' look hardly had any effect on her, what with Weiss' cheeks the colour they were.

"You looked like you were about to cry," Weiss said in reference to before. "I had to do something."

"Sure you did," Yang said, her grin going even wider. "And it just so happened that kissing me was the only option available?"

"Be quiet!"

"I love you too, Weissy," Yang said, cuddling against the now grumpy white haired girl. Despite being annoyed with Yang right now, Weiss reciprocated the affection, making Yang smile.

"So," the rapier wielder said after a minute of cuddling. By now, Weiss had snuggled her head against Yang's collarbone, Yang herself resting her head against Weiss' hair.

"So," Yang echoed, still indulging in her smaller companion.

"Did you really pick Lady Peach's special flowers to give to Blake for her birthday?" Weiss asked, a small chuckle hidden in that question.

Yang laughed.

"Yep," she said, causing Weiss to pull her head back enough to meet her gaze. "You should have seen her face when she caught me doing it too. It was terrifying."

Another laugh.

"I can imagine," Weiss said, that lovely smile which Yang had so fallen in love with gracing the former princess' lips.

"And Lord Pigglesworth?"

"Oh come on, Weiss," Yang said. "With a name like that, he was just asking for trouble."

"Trouble in the form of Yang Xiao Long?" the rapier wielder asked, an eyebrow raised.

"You betcha," she replied back, wink and all.

Weiss rolled her eyes and laughed. "You're incorrigible."

"Maybe," Yang shrugged, a gentle smile on her face. "But you still love me anyhow, right?"

A cheek grin.

"Dolt," Weiss said, her cheeks mutinying against her.

"But I'm your Dolt," Yang said, her smile absolutely beaming.

Rolling her eyes again, Weiss leaned in to give Yang a peck on the cheek before settling down under her chin again.

"You know…" the former princess began.

Yang frowned slightly when the white haired girl refused to meet her gaze.

"While we are on the topic of your past… adventures, you never did tell me how you managed to frame Lady Fall for my _murder_."

Knowing Weiss wouldn't leave her alone until she had said something on this matter (Weiss could be persistent when she wanted to be), Yang's expression softened, the rogue rubbing the smaller girl's back as she spoke.

"Let's just say I came across some old acquaintances of ours on the way to town," Yang said, being intentionally vague. "We worked something out which… benefited all of us."

Feeling Weiss move below her, Yang pulled back in time to meet the former princess' incredulous gaze.

"That's not a cryptic way of saying it will come back to haunt us, is it?" the white haired girl asked, squinting at her.

Yang laughed, making Weiss scowl some.

"Naw, don't be silly," she said, the ex-heiress giving Yang another look. "Despite the reputation we bounty hunters have, not all of us are without honour."

Watching Yang silently for a few seconds, the ex-heiress eventually conceded, Weiss smiling a bit even, Yang matching the rapier wielder's smile.

"Okay," Weiss said, cuddling against Yang once more. "I'll take your word for it."

A beat.

"Just know," Weiss continued, Yang watching her silently in expectation. "If whatever deal you made with your _fellow hunters_ backfires and they come looking, you're on your own."

The smile on her face widened, Yang snuggling against the girl she had become so smitten with.

"Awww Weiss!" she crooned, Yang kissing the underside of the white haired girl's jaw. "You really do care about me."

Weiss shook her head, a faint blush colouring her cheeks as Yang continued her affections, moving from kissing the ex-heiress' jaw to kissing her neck.

"C-Clearly you d-didn't hear the part where I s-said _you're on your own_," Weiss murmured, the white haired girl swallowing thickly as Yang sucked on her pulse point. Slightly trembling arms wrapped around her shoulders, Weiss pulling Yang snug against her.

"Oh I heard you alright," Yang mumbled into Weiss' neck. She very much enjoyed the gasp which escaped the former princess' throat. "I just-"

"Yannnnnnnng! Yaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnngggggg!"

Yang face planted into Weiss' shoulder.

"Gods damn it," she muttered.

She was cursed. Yang was absolutely certain she was cursed. Either that or the gods seriously hated her. For the second time in a row now (in two days!), her precious moment was interrupted. Again. It didn't matter that it was a different person each time. What were the chances of that happening? In the same building no less? If that wasn't a sign of a curse, Yang didn't know what was.

"Well..." Weiss said, laughing lightly. She stroked Yang's hair. "Blake did warn us about the little ones, if that's any consolation."

"Shut up," Yang grumbled, pouting some more. She was not the least bit consoled. "What I don't get is why this always happens when we're getting to the good part!"

"Yaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnggggg!" came the shout again.

"We'll just have to find somewhere a bit more... private... next time, I guess," Weiss said, Yang looking up at her smirking companion.

A Cheshire grin.

"The storage closet upstairs perhaps?"

Yang waggled her eyebrows.

Weiss giggled softly, the smile on her face widening.

"I'll think about it," the white haired girl said.

"That's all I ask," Yang said, grinning back.

"Yaaaaaaaa-"

"I'm in the kitchen, Sun!" she yelled, Yang pulling apart from Weiss to smooth out her clothes. Taking a quick glance at Weiss to make sure she was also presentable, Yang had just enough time to turn back to the open kitchen doorway before Sun came barrelling in, in complete disarray.

"Hey little man!" Yang said cheerfully, an eyebrow raising once she noticed how dishevelled Sun looked. "What's got you all excited?"

Hunched over for a moment to catch his breath, Sun propped himself up on his knees, the little Faunus huffing.

"The… *huff*… girl... *huff*…" Sun said, breathlessly.

"The girl...?" Yang echoed, momentarily looking at Weiss. The white haired girl shrugged her shoulders, both of them turning back to the small child.

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific, Sun," Yang said. "There are quite a few girls here, myself included."

"Your… *huff*… room…" the blonde said, a hand on his chest as he straightened up. "The girl-"

"Sun," Yang sighed, cutting off the small child. While she knew he was curious, as all children were, Sun, as well as the other orphans knew better than to go into Yang's room without permission.

"What have I told you about going into my room without asking me first?"

"But!" the little Faunus exclaimed, his eyes frantic. "The girl in your room is calling for you!"

"No buts, Sun," Yang said firmly, a scolding ready to roll off of her tongue. "You know that- wait, what?"

Lavender coloured eyes were wide as she grabbed Sun's shoulders, Yang's breaths harsh and heavy. With her knees wobbling dangerously, her legs ready to give out under her at any time, Yang furiously blinked back the tears steadily distorting vision.

A thick swallow.

"What did you just say, Sun?" Yang repeated, her voice cracking mid way.

The monkey Faunus looked absolutely terrified right now, whether because he was afraid he had done something wrong or because Yang was crying, it was hard to tell. Either way, he somehow mustered up the courage to speak again, albeit in short, stuttered breaths.

"The g-girl..." Sun said shakily. "... in your r-room, is c-calling for you."

For a moment, all that was heard was the heavy breathing which came from all who currently resided in the Cat's Cradle's kitchen. Then a thin sound escaped Yang's throat, the rogue saying a single word.

A name.

"Ruby..."

Yang bolted out of the kitchen, her vision tunnelling as she raced down the hallway for the staircase to the second level. Leaping the stairs two at a time, Yang vaguely registered the quick pattering footsteps trailing behind her, the rogue wasting no time as she darted down the upstairs hallway straight towards her room. Nearing the open doorway, Yang's ears picked up two voices, the rogue also catching sight of little Penny standing at the threshold of her room. Hearing the stomping of feet, the redheaded child turned towards Yang, the little girl immediately jumping clear to the side just as Yang all but skidded to a halt next to her bed.

There, on Yang's bed and sitting up, was none other than Ruby Rose, the girl looking not a day older than four.

"R-Ruby...?"

Silver eyes were as bright as Yang remembered them, small dimples peppering the corners of Ruby's mouth as smiled.

"Hi Yaya," the little Rose said cheerfully, Ruby looking no worse for wear.

At the sound of her sister's voice, one which she thought she'd never hear again in her lifetime, the dam walls broke and Yang collapsed to her knees next to her bed, sobbing.

"Oh R-Ruby!" she wept, Yang wrapping her younger sibling up in her arms, clutching at her tightly.

"Y-Yaya?" Ruby said, her voice muffled. Squirming in Yang's grasp, tiny hands held onto the rogue's shoulders, clutching at her shirt. "Waz wrong?"

Yang couldn't stop the tears running down her cheeks even if she wanted to at this point, the sheer intensity of the emotions running through her right now utterly overwhelming. Never did she think this day would come, the day where she'd get to see those brilliant silver eyes again, or hear her sister's cute little voice. Yet here she was, here they both were, together. Awake and alive.

"Yaya?" Ruby repeated, this time the small child rubbing her arm. "Doz Yaya haz a boo boo? Ish Yaya hurtingz?"

Yang felt her before she heard her, Weiss finally leaving her place at the doorway to Yang's room to stand behind her on the left.

"No Sweetie," the white haired girl said, her voice soft and soothing. "Yaya doesn't have a boo boo. She's just very happy right now."

Yang hiccuped in Ruby's hair as a gentle hand pressed down on her back, the same hand rubbing circles between her heaving shoulders. By now, she could just make out something happening in the hallway, Yang guessing that to be Blake, if not Adam too, shooing away Penny and probably Sun, along with any other little ones who had been attracted by the ruckus.

"But," Ruby said, clearly confused if her tone was any indication. The little girl patted Yang's shoulder when Yang squeezed her a bit tighter, Weiss' hand moving upwards to stroke Yang's hair.

"Yaya ish cryingz."

Yang laughed loudly at those words, startling her present company. But that was fine. Furiously rubbing her tears away with the back of her hand, she pulled back just enough to look at Ruby in the eye, a shaking but ecstatic smile on her face.

"I'm c-crying because I'm so h-happy right now, R-Ruby," she explained, sniffling. "So very happy."

"Rweally?" Ruby asked, not yet convinced.

Swiping at her eyes again, another laugh escaped her, Yang's smile brighter than the sun.

"Really, really," she said.

At those words, Ruby cheered, throwing up her little hands and beaming brightly.

"Yayz!" the little red exclaimed. "Yaya ish happies!"

As Ruby giggled gleefully, Yang turned to her left to meet Weiss' gaze. Smiling down at her, Weiss' eyes were also brimming with tears, the former princess nodding at her encouragingly. Reaching up with her left hand, Yang intertwined their fingers together before turning back to her bubbly sister.

"Hey Ruby," Yang said, drawing the little Rose's attention to her. "There's someone I want you to meet."

Glancing at the rapier wielder for a moment, Yang squeezed Weiss' hand before continuing.

"Ruby," she said. "This is Weiss. Weiss, this is Ruby."

Following Yang's lead, Weiss knelt down next to the bed, smiling.

"Hi Ruby," the white haired girl said. "It's nice to meet you."

Nodding at the small child when Ruby looked her way hesitantly, Yang watched as the little red turned to Weiss and absolutely blinded her with an adorable smile.

"Hi Pretty Lady," Ruby said, much to Weiss and Yang's surprise. "Thankies for the fuwohwer."

"Fuwohwer...?" Weiss repeated, turning to Yang in confusion.

Yang, just as confused as Weiss was, did a quick scan of her room to see if she could figure out what Ruby was referring to. In the end, Yang saw nothing out of the usual, all of her furniture exactly where she had left them, including the empty white vase half filled with water sitting on her bedside table.

"Umm, Ruby...?" Yang said, looking around the room again.

A rumble.

All eyes turned to Ruby in an instant, the small child giggling as she held her stomach.

"Yaya," the little Rose said sheepishly. "Ruru ish hungries."

Relieved it was nothing serious, Yang couldn't stop the smile which stretched across her face.

"You and me both kiddo," Yang said, the rogue smiling so much her cheeks hurt. "How about we get you and me some breakfast then? Hmm? I haven't eaten yet either."

"Pancakies!" Ruby exclaimed as both Yang and Weiss rose to their feet. "Ruru wantz pancakies!"

"Pancakes it is!"

Weiss chuckled as Yang helped Ruby get out of bed, the little one quick to tie the red blanket sitting on top of Yang's brown one around her shoulders like a cloak. Making their way out of the room, Yang nearly squealed when Ruby not only reached up to hold her hand, but also Weiss' hand, her little sister having squeezed herself between the two of them as they walked. Startled as she was by this sudden touch, Weiss took it all in stride, the white haired girl smiling down at Ruby when the little girl looked up at her happily. It was this way the three of them journeyed downstairs for breakfast, all of them hand in hand, Yang and Weiss sharing smiles, while Ruby babbled on about pancakes.

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed, the small child almost vibrating with excitement when a certain thought came to mind.

"Can Ruru haz strowburries on her pancakies?"

**END**

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><p><em><strong>AN:**__ And that's a wrap! Almost. Next month, I'll be posting up some Author's Notes and reflections on this story (which should answer any lingering questions), along with a little something else. Stay tuned!_

_Just to be different, in my world, Lien coins are square shaped with a square hole in the middle of them. There are no dollar bills in my world. Just coins of different sizes and colours to signify different amounts. _

_The idea that Lord Port had a pet warthog was inspired by Volume 1, Episode 10 where Weiss has to fight the Boarbatusk in Prof. Port's class._

_There's not much yet known about Prof. Peach. Just making a guess on their name, for my story I made Peach a woman and an avid gardener._

_In case it wasn't clear, when Yang mentioned she ran into a few old acquaintances, what she really meant was that Junior and the twins had come across her on her way to giving herself up. Despite their previous meeting, Yang was able to work out a deal with them in which they framed Cinder for her by taking and planting Weiss' bloody jacket in Cinder's room, and they made off with the bounty money instead. Why would they do such a thing? Considering Cinder was formerly their employer, I'm sure you can imagine how she took them failing their assignment the first time. Karma is a bitch. XD_

_The rose is t__he ultimate gentle healing herb of love and reconciliation, especially good for healing the young, the very old, anyone who has suffered abuse and the vulnerable. You can find out more about it and other healing flowers here (replace commas with periods): www,cassandraeason,com/healing/healing_flowers,htm_

_Ruby sleeping for almost 15 years was inspired by the original 'Sleeping Beauty' fairytale created by Charles Perrault in 1697. Originally titled "La Belle au bois dormant" otherwise translated as "The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood", in this fairytale, Sleeping Beauty slept for 100 years before the prince found her and awakened her with a kiss. Rather than have Ruby cursed by an evil fairy like Sleeping Beauty was, instead I had her protected of sorts by Ozpin as a means to save her life. And in place of a prince with a kiss to wake her, I had Weiss bring her a special rose to do that instead._

_You can find more information on the Sleeping Beauty fairytale here (replace the commas with periods): en,Wikipedia,org/wiki/Sleeping_Beauty_

_For those of you who didn't catch it, Ozpin's apprentice was none other than Glynda Goodwitch._

_In the real world, for a person to remain unconscious (no matter the circumstance) for years, unless they still got food and water, etc, their body would eventually die. For the sake of this story, let's just say that the magic Ozpin cast put Ruby into a magical coma of sorts where she doesn't require such basic needs while she's asleep. :P_

_Ruby referring to Weiss as 'Pretty Lady' is a nod to my drabble series "__In a Land Far, Far Away__", specifically drabbles # 11 and # 12. In those drabbles, kiddy Ruby calls kiddy Weiss 'Pretty Lady'._


	24. Extended Author's Notes

The Princess' Rogue – Extended Author's Notes

With this being my longest RWBY story to date, I wanted to provide a bit of extra insight into how the story was written, how certain things came about, etc. Many people have asked a variety of things over the course of this story that, as a result of various outside factors (including burnout and real life obligations reducing my writing time), I was not able to fully explain or elaborate on in the story itself. So to make up for that, I've included my final notes and musings.

Though before I get to that, here are my replies to all unsigned reviews.

_ Guest – Thanks for the comment. :) I have many stories planned that I want to write, and while I don't yet have another Freezerburn story in mind, that's not to say it won't happen later on. :) Thanks for reading!_

_ Annon – Thanks for the review! :) This was a fun story to write, despite its ups and downs and I'm very happy to hear you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thanks for reading!_

_POST STORY REVIEWS_

_ Aniko - Thanks for the review! I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the story. :)  
><em>

_ Badassfox - Thanks for the review! It was a lot of fun writing that last bit, and I'm happy to know you enjoyed it just as much as I did. :P I look forward to your future silly reviews. There's so a lot more to come from me, so stay tuned! XD_

_ Guest - Thanks for the comment. :) I'm glad you liked it. ^^_

Reviews aside, now let's get to the good stuff! XD

Please note, my notes are still pretty rough. They are, for all intents and purposes, just notes, and may not always flow smoothly.

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>How this story came about.<strong>

As first mentioned in the Chapter 1 Author's Notes, the idea for this story was directly drawn from a text-based RPG I started many years ago with my best friend and first beta reader Lily. It was a really small thing, just the two of us going back and forth through online chat (I live in Canada while Lily lives in Europe), role playing as these characters. At that time, I took on the role of the rogue and Lily took on the role of the princess. This was before Skype bought out MSN Messenger (who remembers that? lol) and fanfiction was not as popular as it is today. We managed roughly 6 RP sessions before things stalled due to real life obligations. Lily got married. I left my job to go back to school in a different field. And by the end of it, we both lost touch.

Sadly, we never finished that RPG. And while I could have just as easily picked it up with another friend of mine, I didn't. It wouldn't have felt right, if you know what I mean. And so the raw files of our RP sessions sat buried in the abyss that was my hard drive for years, until I finally stumbled across them again years later while deleting some old and useless computer files.

Opening the files and reading them again, I was instantly caught up in a wave of nostalgia. Heavily into the RWBY fandom at that time, and thinking of my next fanfiction as "Tell Me Something" was quickly wrapping up, things just fell into place when I rediscovered this ancient text. Yang as _the Rogue_ and Weiss as _the Princess_ was a no-brainer, and so I set about rewriting the raw files I had and "The Princess' Rogue" was born.

This was my tribute and my goodbye to Lily, one I was never really able to give her. Lily is not dead mind you, she's still very much alive and no doubt having a lot of fun, sharing her awesomeness with the world. But I haven't spoken to her in years, and that's just a bit sad for me. We had a lot of awesome memories and times together, she and I, and even though I miss her very much, I wish her all the best in anything she does.

We all have our own paths to walk in this life, and despite the time we shared together was much too short in my opinion, I will never be ungrateful and unappreciative of our friendship. Just like the late Monty Oum touched my life, so did Lily, and I will never forget that.

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**Volume 1 characters only club.**

From the very beginning, I decided I would only have Volume 1 characters (including those who made appearances in the four trailers) in this story, with a strong focus on Weiss and Yang. My reasoning behind this was that a larger cast meant a more complicated story. This is something I've learned over my many years as a writer, and despite trying to fight it every time I started a new story, this was always the case.

There are two types of writing styles out there: Story driven and Character driven. Story driven stories are all about plot and the events which happen in the story. The characters are just along for the ride in stories like that. Alternately, Character driven stories focus on the characters, and it is the characters which drive the story forward, with the plot and events just kind of falling into place around them.

My writing style falls under the latter category, Character driven. As such, my main characters tend to have deep back stories, complicated personalities and often a bunch of issues they need time to sort through (whether they want to or not). Secondary characters also get some of that attention, though not in as much depth as the main characters usually do.

For a story with a cast of only two characters, Character driven writing is a piece of cake. Try the same thing with a cast of at least a dozen or more characters, and well, that's when things really start to get interesting. And complicated. And hence why I chose to stick with just Volume 1 characters for this story.

Truth be told, even though I limited the cast to only Volume 1 characters, I still didn't even use all of them in my story. There were just too many of them, I dare say, even with the amount of content I had for the world I created. But that was okay. This story was never a competition of how many characters I could squeeze into it. This was all about Yang and Weiss', their struggles, and their victories. In the end, it came together how it should have, and that was the most important part.

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**Big, bad Cinder.**

Realistically speaking, there were only two choices for the big, bad guy in this story. And between Roman Torchwick and Cinder Fall, Cinder was really the better choice of the two. While there really wasn't much known or seen about her in Volume 1, just that minor bit at the end of Volume 1 was enough for me to formulate just how much of a psychopath she would be. Torchwick was a decent bad guy for bad guy standards, but he didn't quite have that extra edge, that extra umpf I was looking for.

Unfortunately, despite having grandiose plans for her, I wasn't quite able to show just how crazy Cinder was. At some point, I was supposed to delve deeper into Yang's history with her, why Cinder burned Yang and Ruby's home village to the ground etc. That never came to pass sadly, as by that time, the story had actually gone in a different direction than I first laid out. That said, check out the Deleted Scenes section below. While these details never quite made it into the actual story (as in a chapter or actual scene), I still kept the notes on it for reference.

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**Ruby's death. But not really.**

While I seriously considered having Ruby killed from the start, I just didn't have the heart to do it. So instead, I merely implied and hinted that was the case, that Ruby had died, without really saying so directly. Sort of.

I know Yang considered Ruby dead a few times at various points in this story, but if you consider just how long Ruby had been 'sleeping' for, that shouldn't have been a surprise. People can only hold onto hope for so long before giving up. Even the stoutest believers eventually fall. Yet, despite knowing I wouldn't be killing Ruby off, I soon ran into the problem of trying to explain how she survived all this time without going all Deus Ex Machina about it. Thankfully, Ozpin came to my rescue there, and all was good.

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**Ozpin. And the power to freeze time.**

Ozpin was never going to be a main character in this story. I knew that from the start. He wouldn't even make an appearance really, maybe be seen in a flashback of some sort, but that was it. I envisioned Ozpin to be something akin to Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings. He was a wizard, a powerful one at that, but he was not invincible, nor was he a god. He only had one purpose in this story, and that was to help Yang and Ruby in their time of dire need.

The idea that he could manipulate time was inspired from his office in the show. The gears as seen in Volume 2, winding in the ceiling of his office, reminded me very much of the innards of an old style pocket watch. If you've ever seen the inside of a pocket watch, where all the gears are, you know what I'm talking about. Not to mention, his office is located in a clock tower, so really, the idea of him playing with time is not all that ground breaking.

That said, the ability to wield time is a truly powerful ability. I had to be very careful about it, as I didn't want Ozpin to seem too overly powerful. Not only would that break the flow and feel of the story, it would also lead to the whole Deus Ex Machina I desperately tried to avoid when it came to Yang and Ruby's situation. So, while I could have easily had him reverse time, or speed up time (crazy powerful if you ask me), I decided to limit Ozpin's abilities to just slowing down/freezing time.

Originally, on that fateful night when Yang and Ruby were kids, Ruby was supposed to have died. Hearing Yang's wails, Ozpin and Glynda went to investigate the sound and found the two children. Ozpin, using his powers, revives young Ruby, but due to her weakened state, Ruby does not wake up and falls into a magical coma of sorts.

After looking over that idea a second time however, while writing the story, I quickly decided against that happening, as this would involve Ozpin either reversing time somehow or dabbling in the dark arts of necromancy. I really wasn't in the mood to deal with an undead/zombie Ruby at the time, so I chose to go a different route with his powers. Because really, as amusing as it would be to have Ozpin as a necromancer, that was going to open a can of worms I really had no intention of dealing with. And so, Ozpin's powers were limited to just time freezing, leaving Ruby to sleep like Snow White, and that was that.

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**Velvet. Her role. Her evolution.**

Our long eared Faunus friend has come a long way since I first started writing this story. Originally, Velvet was supposed to be a watcher of sorts. Being the very embodiment of the Forest/Woodland Elf in my story, she was meant to be a young Faunus too curious for her own good, who watched strangers in her forest from a far. That was at first.

Then she matured into a guardian of the forest, a protector. The animals (including Grimm) and trees were her friends and companions (some of them at least), Velvet one of many Faunus given the duty of keeping the forest safe from malicious outsiders. If anyone harmed her charges in any way, she would stop them and punish them for their misdeeds. And then I started writing the last few chapters of the story, and Velvet evolved yet again.

In the end, I decided that Velvet would be a combination of her two previous roles on top of something else. Velvet became the Heart of the Emerald Forest, its guardian as well as the guardian of lost souls which were naturally drawn to this supernatural place.

Touching upon the Gaia Theory, which in simple terms states that the Earth is alive, as well as the Lifestream concept from the Final Fantasy series of games, I envisioned that when people died, they returned to the earth, "from dust to dust" as the saying goes. As Aura (according to RWBY) can be found in all living things (except Grimm), I figured that there would always be places where lost souls would gather. Such a place was the Emerald Forest, and hence all the supernatural things going on there giving it the reputation for being haunted.

Velvet, one of the Forest/Woodland Elves who was very much in tune with nature, naturally became the guardian of that place, including the lost souls. And it was there she came across Ruby's soul, holding onto it (Ruby's soul resided in the ruby red rose Velvet gave to Weiss near the end) until the time was right to return it to her weakened body.

While Ruby had not yet died, she came very close to it. In real life, people have often talked about out of body experiences, their spirit floating high above as their body recuperated from whatever ailed them. It was the same for Ruby in this case, the only exception being how long it took for her to heal and where she hung out until then.

Seeing what happened to Velvet in Volume 1, while I knew she would not be a main character in this story, I nevertheless wanted to her to have an important role, both in the story and shaping Yang and Weiss' future. Inadvertently she did that without my help, giving them a few helpful nudges here and there, helping to guide them when they were lost. So my concern that her impact wouldn't be felt because she was being overshadowed by Weiss and Yang was a moot point I was only too happy for. It was a shame she could not get more of the spotlight, something I think she very much deserves, especially in the actual show.

In terms of Velvet's actual powers, given that it was hinted she was a magician of sorts in the show, I decided that Velvet would wield the power of nature. It's not so much in the way of she commands the elements of earth, fire, wind and water to do her bidding. Not like the Avatar from the Last Airbender series. No, Velvet asks nature for help, and if it chooses to help her, it will. So the whole thing about the trees saving Yang from the pack of Beowolves, Velvet merely asked the trees to help protect the blonde, and they did.

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**Races in the story.**

What good would a fantasy story be would be without its many races? Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, etc, the list goes on, each race having their own divisions among them as well. Given the world of RWBY, it seemed only natural for the Faunus to take over the role of the other races for all the non-human characters in the story. While some of them were easier to decide (Blake as a Dark Elf/Shadow Kat), there were others who needed some tweaking (Adam as a Dwarf/Taurus). While not a necessary thing, I think it was a nice touch overall, one which allowed for character continuity as well as story depth.

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**Faunus tongue.**

While I knew this would not be a focal point of the story, given this was a medieval fantasy world, I did want to dabble in this a little bit. Not having the faintest clue about actually creating my own made up language from scratch, my first reaction was to turn to already established languages. And my first choice was Elvish, as created by J. R. R. Tolkienfor the Lord of the Rings. As Velvet was an elf and she would mainly be the one using it, I figured using Elvish wouldn't be a bad choice for Faunus tongue/language. Unfortunately, things didn't quite work out too well in that choice as the only English to Elvish translator online had trouble converting even the most basic and simplistic of words like 'you' into Elvish.

Not to be deterred, my next choice of language was Latin, that being an older language and possibly close enough to the feeling I wanted. Despite there being plenty of Latin to English (and vice versa) translators around, I found the Latin translations of dialogue to be rather sharp and hard on the eyes and ears, something I didn't like one bit. The one thing that I loved about the Elven language was how soft and smooth it sounded, like a flowing river, but with words and sounds instead of water. So with the Latin sounding as it did, I immediately vetoed that idea.

In a last attempt to keep this idea alive, I decided to play around with the text on my own. After remembering a neat fact about the brain, how as long as the first and last letter of a word are in the right spots, the brain can still read a misspelled word, I chose to shuffle the letters in the words around in no particular order. Given some of the words only had three letter letters in them, I shuffled all the letters around, rather than keep the first and last letter the same. The result of that came out a lot better than I expected, a bit rough sounding at times but good. And so Faunus tongue was born. A few random apostrophes and capitals were thrown in for dramatic effect. :P

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**Pairings in the story.**

This will be a surprise to many, but when I first began this story, there were only three pairings hard set. That being Blake & Adam, Pyrrha & Jaune, and Ren & Nora. Originally, there was no Yang & Weiss pairing planned.

At that time, Freezerburn was only starting to get noticed, and I had no intention of forcing the pairing onto the story just because everyone else was getting into it. As far as I was concerned, anything between Yang and Weiss would only happen if it was natural, if it felt right. The absolute worst thing I could do was force them into this, making the whole story feeling forced because of it.

So how did I decide they would get together in the end?

I didn't.

The characters chose that for themselves.

As silly as this sounds, I had no say in Yang and Weiss getting together. As any good writer will know, things never turn out the way you want it to. So while I originally planned for Yang and Weiss to just be friends, as the story played out, they opted for a much different relationship. While I could have just as easily put my foot down and said no to it, I didn't. Because if I did, I would be doing the exact thing I didn't want to do. Forcing the story down a certain path just because. Not only would that have made things feel forced, I'm almost certain Yang and Weiss would have rebelled in some other way, a way which would have probably threatened to ruin the story for good. So I left them be.

Now I'm sure some of you are reading this and thinking, but wait, you're the author, don't you dictate how things go? My answer to that would be yes and no. Maybe this is because of my writing style, that being Character driven/focused, but I really don't see myself as an author. I'm more like a parent, with all the characters in my story being my children. I can start things off, guide them on a certain path, all the while letting you know what happens in the form of this story, but in the end, they decide how they want things to go, and I'm just along for the ride. That's the best way I can describe things. Ask any prominent author out there. I'm sure they'll tell you something similar. Either that or I'm just the oddity amongst all writers. XD

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**Adam Taurus. The loving husband. The good guy.**

Yes, I know Adam is a bad guy. In the show at least. But I wanted to do something different here. Very rarely have I come across a story where Adam is written as something other than the big, bad guy. So for "The Princess' Rogue", Adam was the good guy, a loving husband, and a big brother to the kids of the Cat's Cradle Orphanage. He is of course also a complete badass when he's ready, Blush and Wilt having made an appearance towards the end. It was just a shame I couldn't write more about him like this, because really, I think he deserves more attention. I can only wait and see what's in store for him in Volume 3.

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**Blake. And her baby bump.**

Alright, who here thinks Blake would be an awesome mother? I do! When first thinking about pairings, the moment I knew she and Adam were going to be a thing, I also knew Blake had to be pregnant. She just had to be. Given her love of books and reading, she would be the parent who would read the kids to sleep. I can so see it. So it was done.

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**Weiss. And her decision not to go back to her old life.**

This was something that came up a few times towards the end, after it was revealed Yang had left to turn herself in. Couldn't Weiss just go back to the Capital City and show that she's alive, thus disproving Cinder's claim that Phoenix murdered her? The answer to that question is, well yes. She could have. But then, if she did, it would be expected of her to return to the White Castle, for her to go back to the life she tried so desperately to escape from in the first place.

But that wouldn't be so bad, would it? Actually, yes, it would be very bad. Why? That's the funny thing with growth and growing up. It's like that saying, 'what is seen cannot be unseen'. After tasting freedom, after coming into her own person, after taking responsibility for herself and carving her own path in the world, how could she ever go back to her old life? If I was in Weiss' position, I couldn't. Knowing all of that stuff, there would be no way I would want to go back to that old life. And I would fight tooth and nail never to have to go back to that either. It's just not logical. After changing so much, for Weiss to go back to her old life would be like pretending nothing she went through ever happened. That's such a waste of life, if you ask me.

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**Deleted Scenes/Chapters.**

Believe it or not, when I first started this story, it was only supposed to be like eight chapters long. Ten chapters at most. But as any good writer would know, things don't always happen the way you plan it, and before I knew it, my story had literally doubled in length. And that was after I chopped various scenes/chapters because they didn't quite fit right.

As this story was mainly focused on Yang and Weiss, reading specifically from their point of views, anytime a scene or chapter came up in another character's point of view, if I couldn't somehow rewrite it in Yang or Weiss' point of view, it had to be cut. No only that, if a chapter did not flow well with the one before and after it, usually dragging at some point or reading too choppy, no matter how fantastic the idea was, if I couldn't smooth that section out, that got chopped as well. This happened quite a few times when the story went in a different direction than I had originally planned.

Rather than get rid of those parts completely however, I kept the notes for them, in the hopes of writing those missing sections out later on as extra behind-the-scenes chapters after the story ended. Sadly, due to burnout on this story (which threatened to stall it indefinitely), I decided it was best not to write them at all. Some of them I was able to salvage, just a bit, by having a character mention something or the other about it, but most I just had to cut completely. So here they are, the missing chapters/scenes that will never be written, in no particular order.

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Deleted # 1 – Their First Kiss

- Yang is now at the JNPR tavern, being attended to by Ren, Nora with Weiss watching on in fear

- Yang is near death, Cinder's poison running its course

- Ren is trying every single herb/medicine he can, but Yang is thrashing deliriously and can't stay still enough to swallow the medicine that will cleanse her system

- Jaune and Pyrrha are out trying to get more herbs/medicine for Ren

- As Yang progressively gets worse, Weiss takes matter into her own hands

- As Ren and Nora are trying to hold Yang down, Weiss takes a mouthful of the medicine (not swallowing) before leaping on top of Yang and feeding the medicine to her mouth to mouth

- Yang swallows the medicine this time, the medicine almost instantly jump starting her Aura to help in the healing process

- As Yang's Aura initially flares from the medicine, Weiss' Aura bonds with Yang's and for a brief moment, they are once again connected to each other

- As Yang settles down, the medicine now taking affect, Weiss withdraws to find Ren and Nora, along with Jaune and Pyrrha (standing in the doorway) looking at her in shock

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Deleted # 2 – Weiss vs Boarbatusk

- Weiss has just left Yang under the tree to find help

- Along the way, she runs (literally) into a lone Boarbatusk

- Fight that follows is based heavily on her fight with a Boarbatusk in class in Volume 1

- In place of Myrtenaster, Weiss calls forth a shard of ice the length of her arm in her panic

- Velvet shows up at the end of the fight and points Weiss to the exit of the forest

- While Velvet doesn't actually talk to Weiss, Weiss figures things out and takes the help without question, as Yang's life still lies in the balance

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Deleted # 3 – The Forest Guardian

- While Weiss has gone off to find help, a pack of Beowolves comes across the nearly fatally wounded Yang

- Velvet, who has been watching the yellow and white pair for a while now, intervenes and through magic, has the trees attack the Beowolves and chase them off

- With the threat gone, Velvet goes to Yang's side and shares her Aura with her to heal Yang enough so that Yang will survive until Weiss comes back with help

- Velvet tucks a message on a piece of parchment in Yang's pocket for Blake to get later

- Velvet is one of the 'ghost/friendly spirits' (not really, just a myth) said to inhabit the Emerald Forest

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Deleted # 4 – The Watcher

- Velvet watches from a tree branch high up as Yang and Weiss fight

- Yang storms off, leaving Weiss to sulk at camp

- Velvet follows her in the trees

- Yang stops a ways from camp and calls out to Velvet, saying she knows she's there

- Feeling adventurous, Velvet jumps down and walks up to Yang

- They chat, Yang promising they'll (Yang and Weiss) will be out of the forest soon, leaving Velvet in peace

- Velvet is mute?

- Yang hints she knows what Velvet is

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Deleted # 5 – The Wizard and the Apprentice

- Ozpin (Wizard) and Glynda (Apprentice) are travelling through [insert name] during a thunderstorm

- Even in the storm they hear Yang's screams/wails and go to investigate the sound

- They find young Yang screaming Ruby's name, crying

- Ruby is near death, just a few minutes longer, she will be dead

- Despite being a powerful wizard, Ozpin cannot bring back the dead

- Instead Ozpin freezes Ruby's time, giving her the time she needs to heal herself

- Ruby will remain in a magic coma of sorts, while her body tries to heal itself with the help of Ozpin's magic

- During this time, young Ruby will not grow in age or physically, and will not require food/drink to survive, she just needs time for her body to heal itself

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Deleted # 6 – Black meets Yellow and Red

- Blake's POV as a child (7(?) years old)

- Her first impression meeting Yang and Ruby

- Ozpin (Wizard) and Glynda (Apprentice) have saved Yang and Ruby from the streets, though Ruby is still unconscious/coma

- Yang is mute right now, her gaze hollow

- It will take months before Yang is talking again, young Blake helping her to do it

- Ozpin takes Yang and Ruby to Blake's family, the Belladonna's great friends with the wizard already and the ones nearest to where they found Yang and Ruby

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Deleted # 7 – Confrontation with the Damned

- Yang has left the JNPR tavern with Weiss' bloody jacket to turn herself in

- Cinder intercepts her along the way, with Junior and the Twins

- flash back to Yang not killing Cinder in the forest, but knocking her out

- Yang, despite wanting to, cannot kill Cinder, she is not a murderer

- Cinder talks about how things could have been different between them

- Yang learns the truth about parents' death

- Cinder had heard about Yang as a young fire Aura prodigy

- She went in search of Yang, planning to take Yang under her wing as her own

- Yang's parents and village/town refused to give Yang up

- Cinder razes the village to the ground, if she can't have Yang, no one will

.

Deleted # 8 – Reunion

- Adam reluctantly tells kids to play somewhere else as he closes door behind Weiss

- Blake greets them, Adam returns with his weapon

- They both threaten Weiss demanding to know what they want from Yang

- Weiss convinces them she doesn't mean harm, they believe her

- Yang is sleeping on couch, with bandages

- Weiss wakes her up, Yang is surprised to see her

- Yang tells Weiss she's laying low and just being Yang and not Phoenix for now

- Weiss asks to join them

.

**Will there be a sequel to "****The Princess' Rogue****"?**

Yes, no, and maybe.

While I didn't originally plan for a sequel when I first started writing this piece, I can not, _NOT_ say that I haven't had thoughts for another story in this world as this story progressed. If I ever do get around to writing a sequel for this, it will be a long time in the future. I still have many things to write at the moment, including the sequel to "Tell Me Something" which I promised a while back.

So, the answer for now is no.

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**The next step. (What happens now that "****The Princess' Rogue****" is done?)**

"In a Land Far, Far Away" will be starting up again next month.

I will continue with my monthly posting schedule, but it won't be like it has been up to this point. What I mean by that is, due to shifts in my personal life, including less time to write etc, I'll be updating any one of the number of stories I will have on the go, not just one story/drabble consecutively. As I will be taking a break from longer (as in 10+ chapters) multi-chaptered stories (due to a higher risk of burnout on the longer pieces), I will be writing more shorter stories and drabbles at the same time, any one of them updating when the monthly update comes. You'll see what I mean when it happens. Just know, I will be posting _something_ up at least once month, which means some stories may have longer wait times for updates.

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**General last minute things.**

Once again I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has read this story. Whether or not you've added it to your favorites, story alerts or even reviewed it, I am truly thankful for you taking the time to read it. It couldn't have been as successful without you, the readers.

As a bonus for those of you who have graciously taken the time to read all of these notes, below I have included one last tidbit for your enjoyment.

* * *

><p><span>The Princess and the Rogue (and Little Red too!)<span>

Closed blue eyes fluttered in the dark, Weiss moaning softly as the conscious world reeled her back in. It started with the twitch of her fingers, followed by the minor flexing of limbs, finishing up with the soft yawn which escaped her willing lips. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, Weiss glanced around the bed trying to discern what had awoken her at this ungodly hour.

A sniffle, followed by the shuffling of cloth.

"Ruby?" Weiss murmured groggily, only now noticing the small form standing next to her bedside.

The said girl flinched at the sound of her name, Weiss frowning as she spied the little one clutching at her red safety blanket tightly. It was a gift from Yang and Ruby's late mother, Ruby often draping the material over her shoulders and wearing it like a cloak. Now however, as seen by the sliver of moonlight seeping through the crack in the curtains, the blanket was bunched up in Ruby's white knuckled grip.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Weiss asked, softer this time. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Currently lying on her right side, Weiss started to push herself upwards with her right arm only to pause when the arm curled around her waist from behind held her tighter. Despite snuggling closer to her, Yang did not wake. The blonde remained dead asleep to the world, her soft snores warming the back of Weiss' neck. That really wasn't all that surprising given what they had been through these last few days. When exhausted, Yang was akin to a hibernating bear, and as clingy as a koala. Weiss was always the lighter sleeper between the two of them, despite wishing many a time now that she wasn't.

To her question, Ruby nodded hesitantly, still clutching at her blanket tightly. But the little one did not speak, nor did she move from her spot just two feet away from the edge of the bed.

Weiss' lips pursed at that sight, her heart immediately going out to the frightened girl. It was very clear the wee one wanted nothing more than to jump into bed with them. That's how things were the first week after Ruby awoke, the four year old taking in the changes in the world around her surprisingly fast. Quickly making friends with the other orphans in the Cat's Cradle Orphanage after her initial shyness, last night Ruby declared she wanted to sleep with the rest of the kids, to show how much of a big girl she was now. But, as Weiss knew, even big girls had nightmares.

"Come here," Weiss said, fondness in her voice. Scooching backwards and nestling herself deeper in Yang's embrace, Weiss lifted up the blanket and patted the newly created space she made on the bed.

Teary silver coloured eyes widened at the gesture, Weiss nodding slightly with a small smile. Even with that encouragement, Ruby still refused to move.

Weiss' brow furled.

It was almost as if the little girl was-

A nervous glance to the slumbering form behind Weiss.

Oh.

Oh! Of course!

"It's alright Ruby," Weiss said, hoping to ease the little girl's fears.

While Ruby would have no issue with jumping into bed with Yang, the little red didn't know Weiss all that well yet. It probably felt like a betrayal of sorts to the young child that she had awakened Weiss instead of Yang. Not that that was Ruby's fault, of course. With the room being as small as it was (space was a luxury in this re-purposed church after all), it just so happened that Weiss' side of the bed was closer to the door. Ruby was probably on her way around the bed to her sister's side when Weiss awoke, and seeing that, she froze in fear.

Another smile.

"I promise not to tell Yang if you don't," Weiss said.

It would take time to build the bond between them, to where Ruby would feel comfortable enough coming to Weiss when she was troubled. But Weiss was patient and more than willing to wait for that, for however long it took. Ruby was part of her life now after all, just like Yang. And she wouldn't want it any other way.

Weiss' words seemed to do the trick, watery eyes widening for a moment before Ruby's lips trembled, tears threatening to fall. Just when Weiss feared she may have said the wrong thing, the little red all but jumped into bed with her, trying to bury herself in Weiss' chest. A little shocked at Ruby's vehemence, it took a few seconds before Weiss wrapped her arms around the trembling and sniffling child.

"Is that better?" Weiss asked softly, draping the blanket over Ruby now and running a hand through short locks of brownish red. She could only imagine how horrifying Ruby's nightmare must have been, what with the little one shivering against her. Ruby was shaking worse than a leaf in a storm.

The slight nod of Ruby's head was Weiss' answer, Yang's little sister further pressing herself against Weiss, trying to erase whatever minute space remained between them. Frowning even more at this behavior, Weiss held the child just a bit tighter, kissing Ruby's hair.

"Did you want to talk about it?" she asked quietly.

Ruby shook her head immediately, a shudder running through her.

"Okay," Weiss said, rubbing the little girl's back. "That's okay. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Seconds ticked on in silence, save for the muffled sniffles of a still shaking Ruby. There was also a dampness now, slowly creeping up the front of Weiss' shirt where Ruby's head was currently pressed against, the small child sobbing quietly.

"You know," Weiss began, still embracing the little one gently. "When I couldn't sleep, my Mama used to sing for me."

Ruby stilled in her grasp, and for the first time since jumping into bed and clinging to Weiss, the little red raised her head and looked at the former princess.

Weiss smiled.

"Can I sing for you, Ruby?"

Her smile only widened as Ruby's expression morphed into one of shock. That was a common reaction Weiss received, the ex-heiress quite used to it by now. For some reason, her status of princess (former, that is) always seemed to imply her lack of talent in that area, something Weiss really never really understood.

"C-Can youz?" a tiny voice said, snapping Weiss out of her thoughts.

"Of course I can," Weiss replied, reaching up to wipe away the little girl's tears. Ruby didn't flinch in the least.

"Would you like me to?"

Just when Weiss thought her smile couldn't get any bigger, it did as Ruby wiped her remaining tears on her sleeve and nodded.

Ruby was so adorable.

"Okay," Weiss said. "Close your eyes."

Without question, Ruby did as she was told, Weiss also doing the same and she sucked in a deep breath and began to sing.

"_Fear not this night, you will not go astray…"_

How many years had it been since she last felt this… serenity? Ever since her mother died, all Weiss knew was anger, and sadness, and hopeless. And it was that anger, that sadness, that hopeless which drove her from the White Castle in the first place, in the hopes of finding something better. Anything better than that place, where constant reminders of what she had, lingered.

_"Though shadows fall, still the stars find their way…"_

Had someone told her she'd one day run off with a rogue who had originally chased after her to cash in on her bounty, Weiss would have laughed at them. To say said rogue was also a woman, one she would eventually become absolutely smitten with, well, that's when Weiss would have threatened the naysayer with execution unless they kept their crazy mouth shut.

_"And you can always be strong…"_

And yet, here she was, together with Yang Xiao Long, the infamous rogue Phoenix (who was now 'dead'), and she was free.

_"Lift your voice, with the first light of dawn…"_

Was this the happiness as written about in stories? Was this what it felt like to find the rumored other half of your soul? Having now experienced it, Weiss could understand why some people would kill for this. In a world as vast and wide as this one, it was easy to get lost, to drown amongst the chaos.

_"Dawn is just a heartbeat away…"_

For a long time, Weiss was drowning.

Drowning in loneliness.

Drowning in sorrow.

Drowning in despair.

But not anymore. Now she was no longer drowning.

Now, she was soaring.

_"Hope's just a sunrise away…"_

Opening her eyes again, Weiss looked down to find a now peacefully sleeping Ruby. The little girl's breaths were slow and soft, Ruby clutching at the fabric of Weiss' night shirt, comfortably snuggled against her. Tucking some loose locks of hair around Ruby's ear, Weiss could but shiver as the hand which held her around her waist, effectively smooshed between herself and Ruby, retracted, fingertips ghosting across the flesh of her stomach as her shirt had ridden up when the little red snuggled against her.

"She had a bad dream?" a husky murmur sounded behind Weiss, Yang repositioning her arm to encompass both Weiss and her sister.

"It seems so," Weiss said, gazing fondly at the child in her arms. Yang shifted behind her, Weiss soon feeling a kiss pressed to the back of her neck.

"Thanks for watching over her for me," the blonde said, cuddling up against Weiss just a bit more.

Weiss sighed in contentment, very much enjoying her partner's warmth.

"You don't need to thank me silly," the former princess said, glancing back over her shoulder. "I'm just doing what you would have done."

The corner of Yang's mouth quirked upwards, the blonde pressing another kiss to the back of Weiss' hair.

"Maybe," the rogue drawled, pushing herself up for a moment to see over Weiss's shoulder. Leaning in to give Weiss another kiss on the check, Yang lay down again, burying her nose in Weiss' hair.

"But still," the blonde said with a yawn. "Thanks Snowflake. You're the best."

Weiss felt her cheeks go hot, the ex-heiress still not used to such affection and compliments.

"Dunce," Weiss pouted, her eyes fluttering shut as Yang gave her a peck on that one sensitive spot just behind her ear. She had to bite her lip to keep herself from moaning out loud.

A light slap.

"_Yang," _Weiss hissed, her cheeks a darker shade of red now. "Your sister is right here! Behave yourself!"

"Mmmm…" Yang murmured for a moment, smacking her lips. "Don't wanna."

Weiss couldn't stop the shudder which ran through her as Yang left open mouthed kisses along the curve of her neck and shoulder. With her right arm pinned down under Ruby's weight, Weiss reached back with her left, blindly feeling around for Yang's head, or hand, or _something_ which she could grab to get the blonde to stop. Her wandering hand was caught by a larger one however, Yang wasting no time in shifting her affection to Weiss' arm, leaving her breathless.

"Y-Yang…" Weiss whimpered, all rational thought quickly leaving her.

Only when Ruby mumbled something incoherently in her sleep did Weiss snap out of her haze, both she and the blonde behind her freezing in their spots as the little one shifted. In the end, Ruby settled again with her thumb in her mouth, snuggling further against Weiss' front, still asleep. Yang and Weiss breathed in relief.

"Well…" Yang said chuckling after a few seconds. "That was a thing."

Weiss looked back at her partner unamused.

"Awww," the brawler crooned. "Is Weissy all hot and bothered now?"

Weiss gritted her teeth, absolutely glaring at those mirth filled lavender orbs. She hated it when the rogue teased her this way, and Yang knew it.

"Good night, Yang," Weiss said, laying down again.

If Yang wanted to behave like that, two could play at that game.

Pulling her hand back from her partner's grip, Weiss enveloped Ruby in a hug again, the little child rather cuddly despite her small size. A smile crept across her face as Yang sputtered at her back, the rogue no doubt baffled at how quickly things had turned and not in her favor.

"Weiss-"

"Sleeping," was Weiss' reply, any further verbal queries met with the same response.

After three more unsuccessful tries, Yang finally gave up and settled for wrapping her arms around Weiss and Ruby again. Intertwining their fingers together, Weiss raised their joined hands up and kissed the back of Yang's knuckles.

"Love you, Princess," Yang murmured, a smile in her voice.

"Love you too, Dolt," Weiss whispered softly, smiling more. "Now go back to sleep. You're cooking Ruby and I pancakes tomorrow morning, to make this up to me."

Yang chuckled behind her, the sound quickly relaxing Weiss as her eyelids drooped shut.

"Don't push your luck Xiao Long," Weiss murmured sleepily. "I mean it."

A yawn.

A kiss was pressed to the back of her hair, Weiss sighing happily.

"How does pancakes _and_ that new dress you wanted from the market sound?" the rogue said softly. She stroked Weiss' hair. "My treat."

"Mmm…" Weiss agreed only half awake now, unconsciousness beckoning her closer. That sounded really nice. Yang always knew how to spoil her.

"And then it will just be you and me," Yang continued on, Weiss further succumbing to the darkness. "And we're going to have a _Yang_-ing good time."

Unamused blue eyes opened halfway, Weiss fighting down the urge to roll her eyes.

"Do you get it? Yang-ing?" Yang chuckled to herself, almost snorting. "Because it's you and me, my name being Yang."

"Now you're doing laundry," Weiss deadpanned, no mercy given. "The entire orphanage's," she added as an aside.

Yang flinched beside her.

"Oh come on!"

**END**

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><p><em><strong>AN:** The song Weiss sang to Ruby was just a small tidbit from "Fear Not This Night" written by Jeremy Soule and sung by Asja for the Guild Wars 2 MMORPG._


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